October 27, 2026
Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade, Helen McEntee, confirmed her country’s determination to continue its presence and participation in Lebanon following the end of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), highlighting special attention to the civilian aspect of any future mission.
This came during a meeting between the Irish Minister and the Minister of Justice, Adel Nassar, in his office at the Ministry, in the presence of a high-level delegation that included the Irish Ambassador to Lebanon, Eden O’Hara, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense, Jacqueline McCrum, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bernie Maguire, the Political Director in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Gerard Keon, the Special Advisor to the Minister of Defense, Evan Henry, the Special Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Andrew Baltran, in addition to the Honorary Consul General of Ireland in Lebanon, George. Sian.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between Lebanon and Ireland, as well as reviewing the latest developments and general developments on the local and regional arenas.
In response to a question about Irish participation in the upcoming European mission to Lebanon after the end of UNIFIL’s mandate at the end of this year, McEntee explained that her country has a keen interest in the civil aspect, stressing by saying: “We are fully determined that, at a time when a chapter of our current mission concludes, we will be ready to stay and participate in the second chapter.”
She added that Dublin would like to coordinate with the United Nations to discuss the possibility of implementing a different type of mission, pointing out that this path represents a major challenge in which the Peacebuilding Commission is involved as an essential part of this approach, expressing her country’s hope to expand the scope of its participation in this framework as much as possible.
The meeting concluded with the exchange of souvenirs between Justice Minister Adel Nassar and Irish Minister Helen McEntee.
