Minister for Defence Simon Coveney has described the death of an Irish soldier serving on peacekeeping duty in Lebanon as a "shocking and tragic incident" and passed on his "deepest condolences" to the family of the soldier.
A convoy of two armoured utility vehicles (AUVs) carrying eight personnel travelling to Beirut came under small arms fire on Wednesday night, and one Irish soldier was killed while two others sustained minor injuries. Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, Mr Coveney said this is a “shocking” incident and described it as the “worst possible news” that a family can hear.
He said: "My deepest condolences to his family and there’s a second family also listening carefully for news for their son who is in a very serious condition in hospital following the attack last night.
