Commander: We have to counter misinformation

ISLAMIC radical group Hezbollah is spreading misinformation against United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, including Irish soldiers, a senior officer says.

- BY MICHAEL O'TOOLE Crime and Defence Editor

Lieutenant-Colonel Edward McDonagh, who commands a 380-strong Irish UNIFIL battalion heading to southern Lebanon for six months in the coming weeks, said senior officers will now try to counter that misinformation during their mission.

The 126th Infantry Battalion, which Lt-Col McDonagh leads, will spend its mission on the so-called 'Blue Line' - the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel.

The area has been devastated by a conflict between Hezbollah and Israel from October 2023 to November last year with thousands of people dying.

The area is relatively quiet since November's ceasefire and those who left southern Lebanon when fighting erupted are slowly returning.