Irish soldiers hurt in Lebanon blast

Two Irish soldiers working as part of a United Nations force were injured today when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in south Lebanon.

The blast smashed the windows of their white UN four-wheel-drive vehicle near the village of Ramiliya, about 35km south of Beirut shortly before 1pm today.

The soldiers, who are serving with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital by by Lebanese Armed Forces.

Unifil are investigating the incident.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said this evening he was greatly relieved to hear the two soldiers had not suffered life threatening injuries.

Mr Ahern said: "This is a timely reminder, if one were needed, of the daily dangers faced by our peace keepers throughout the world."

Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea also conveyed his wishes and those of the Government, for a speedy recovery of the soldiers. "The incident is a stark reminder to us all of the dangerous yet vital work our brave troops do in the cause of peace," he said.

Today's bomb was the third attack on the 13,500-strong Unifil force since it was expanded after a 34-day war between Israel and Lebanese Hizbullah guerrillas ended in August 2006.

Three Spanish and three Colombian UN soldiers were killed when a bomb destroyed their armoured troop carrier in the first attack on June 24th last year.

In July, a bomb exploded near a Unifil position, causing no casualties. Lebanese authorities have charged six Palestinians, three of them in absentia, in relation to that blast.

Today's attack occurred hours after Israel said two rockets fired from Lebanon overnight had exploded in the northern border village of Shlomi, inflicting no casualties.

Israel, which came under Hizbullah rocket attack during the 2006 war, is on high alert ahead of a visit by President George W. Bush that begins tomorrow.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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