Defence Forces chief says Irish troops in Lebanon have plenty of food and other essentials
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The Defence Forces chief of staff has denied troops in Lebanon are under-resourced.
A report on Thursday suggested UN peacekeepers based in Lebanon were running out of food and other essential items.
However, speaking at the Raco conference in Carlow on Thursday, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy said supplies had been replenished recently and troops were well-stocked.
"I can say very clearly that part of our mitigations in advance of this escalation was to have resupplies and 30 days plus available in all locations of the Irish personnel overseas.
"The last couple of days have, of course, initiated that supply chain. We have ample supply of water and food and common necessities available at this time.
"And, of course, as we go through day by day, the force commander will then, in time, decide of what time replenishment as those resources will be."
Lt Gen Clancy said no troops had requested to come home and "morale is good" and the "resilience of the troops is extraordinary".
Tánaiste Micheál Martin echoed this sentiment at the same event, saying there was no plan to withdraw troops, even in the event the violence between Israel and Hezbollah worsens. Mr Martin said force protection was the number one priority.
"We're part of a wider 10,000-strong force made up of quite a number of contributing countries. I've just met with the president of Vietnam yesterday, and we're all part of a wider UN peacekeeping in different parts of the world. And so we operate under that common command, but we will work with the authorities and keep everything under review in terms of where the situation progresses.
"But force protection is our number one priority. Our fundamental focus now is on the protection of our troops on the ground and of our people on the ground."
Meanwhile, about 150 Irish citizens remain in Lebanon and Mr Martin said scenario planning for their evacuation was under way for any who might want to leave the country.
The UK has begun chartering flights to extract its citizens but Mr Martin said Ireland was giving consideration to chartering its own flights.