Three Irish soldiers killed in a roadside bomb blast were “deliberately targeted” in a revenge attack over the abduction of a Lebanese explosives expert, newly declassified state papers have revealed. The claim emerged after the three men died in a roadside bomb blast in Lebanon in 1989. The chief of staff at the Department of Defence was sent to Lebanon after the attack to liaise with United Nations authorities in their investigations. The Irish battalion was also increased by the addition of a bomb disposal team and a programme to improve the physical protection of the Irish battalions headquarters. The undersecretary of the United Nations spoke to the Israeli charge d’affaires in New York to lodge a complaint about the killing.

Source: Irish Examiner December 30, 2019 05:03 UTC