Tánaiste Micheál Martin travels to Lebanon today to meet colleagues of slain peacekeeper Private Seán Rooney

Mr Martin will travel today to Lebanon to meet members of the 121st Infantry Battalion United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

“It will be an opportunity for me to convey my sympathies and those of the Government to the colleagues of Private Seán Rooney on their loss and to express our heartfelt appreciation as they continue to fulfil their duties with the professionalism and dedication that one associates with the Defence Forces,” said Mr Martin in advance of his visit.

The Foreign Affairs Minister will meet with his Lebanese counterparts and he will reiterate the Irish Government’s position that “all of the facts and circumstances of the incident in which Private Rooney was killed are fully established and that those responsible are brought to justice”.

“The outpouring of sympathy and support for Private Rooney and his injured colleagues in Óglaigh na hÉireann is a true expression of the regard in which the Defence Forces are held and a reflection of the pride of the Irish people in what they do,” he said.

He will be accompanied on the visit by Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt Gen Seán Clancy, and the top civil servant in the Department of Defence, Jacqui McCrum.

The Irish delegation will visit members of the Irish Polish Battalion of UNIFIL at their base, Camp Shamrock, and visit the memorial at Tibnine in honour of Irish peacekeepers who have been killed.

There are 331 Irish peacekeepers currently in Lebanon.

Mr Martin visited Camp Shamrock last May while he was Taoiseach.