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IT’S EMERGED AN Irish officer played a key role in a bizarre incident last week involving Israel, Lebanon and a bird (yes, a bird) alleged to have been spying for Israeli forces.
The story of the vulture suspected of espionage made headlines across the world over the weekend…
TheJournal.ie carried the initial report on Saturday.
As there are plenty of Irish soldiers serving in the area as part of the ongoing UNIFIL mission, we decided to put a call in to the Defence Forces to find out if any of our own officers were involved.
So what happened?
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority first raised concerns last Tuesday after images were shared on social media appearing to show the bird, with an Israeli identification ring and location transmitter, captured by villagers in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.
It had crossed the border some days before from its home at the Gamla Nature Reserve - flying about four kilometres into Lebanon, according to officials.
The authority at the time said the villagers had suspected espionage due to the transmitter but the bintjbeil.org news portal said the bird had been freed after it was deemed not to pose any threat.
Handover
As Israel and Lebanon are technically at war, citizens of the two countries are banned from communicating by law.
Contact was made with the UN peacekeepers, and an Irish Lieutenant Colonel who acts as liaison for the Lebanese Armed Forces, the United Nations and the Israel Defense Forces engineered the handover.
“It took place at a crossing at an area known as Rosh Hanikra,” a Defence Forces spokesman confirmed.
The spokesman said the bird was in fact a Spanish Eagle, and not a vulture as Israeli officials have described it.
“In a discreet operation with the Lebanese and with the great help of UN forces and the UN liaison unit, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority was able to return the vulture that was caught a few days ago by villagers of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon,” a statement from the Israeli nature authority on Friday had said.
The handover took place on Thursday night, and the bird was said to be to “weak and with minor injuries,” the statement added.
Animal conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories are endemic in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Israel’s spying activities.
Last summer, Palestinian media reported claims by the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers that they had apprehended a dolphin off their Mediterranean coastline, equipped with video cameras for an Israeli spying mission.
In 2011, Saudi media reported that a vulture carrying a GPS transmitter and an identification ring from Tel Aviv University had been detained by security forces who suspected it was being used for espionage.
And in 2010, Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed Egyptian reports linking a spate of Red Sea shark attacks to the country’s Mossad intelligence agency.
There are around 350 Irish personnel serving across the Middle East. The majority are based in Lebanon.
Includes reporting from AFP.
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Note to author, could you please change the headline.
It DID NOT cost the Garda, it cost the taxpayer
@Tony Gordon: true but it came from the policing budget and now the gardai have to make cuts because they’ve gone over budget.
@James Wallace: And where does the policing budget come from??
@James Wallace: state visits like trump and the likes should not come from the Garda budget, as it was not budgeted for at the start of the year
@James Wallace: and who suffers because they went over budget…..the taxpayer….so little difference
@Tony Gordon: your going around in circles everything comes from the taxpayers who
@Tony Gordon: exactly what I came here to say
@Tony Gordon: which is what I said
@The Risen: read the first word of my comment again
Far outweighed by the value of having good relations with the USA. All visits by high profile foreign leaders come with a security price tag.
@Gavin: Come on now Gavin, we cant be having that common sense attitude here.
@Gavin: rubbish, not worth the money. Could have been spent on the homeless.
@Gus Sheridan: I think you will find the homeless have far in excess of that figure spent on them! Time to interview them all to get a correct figure, who’s genuine and who is just playing the system. As tax payers, this should be a priority to firstly “triage” who is actually most deserved of permanent accommodation and who was the master of their own disaster! Or should just anybody be able to roll up , put themselves on a list and wait for the free gaff?..
@Gus Sheridan: sure that worried bout the homeless let one them stay in your place or camp.in your front garden
@Gavin: ifcthata the case, then central govt should replace that money from the central tax fund to the Gardai, instead of the gardai having to cut overtime etc
@Gavin: the misery junkies wont like you talking common sense
@Gavin: true – although id the riles were reversed you can be sure Trump would send on the 15m bill to get reimbursed which is exactly what we should have done !!
@Gavin: An informercial for a hotel in Doonbeg? A meeting with the Taoiseach in an airport canteen? A lying, racist muppet? Wow such strengthening of relations
Imagine the amount of houses that could of been built for the homeless with that money. Dublin would be homeless free, madness
@John O’Neill: lol this guy. First of all it’s a ridiculous comment. Second, no way no how Dublin wouldn’t be homeless free for 15 million
@Rocky Loveridge: should say *would be. Shame I had to make a second comment to clarify.
In the name of the environment, I’ll not waste the space. Here’s a gag filler. Any Helen Keller fans in tonight? What did Helen Keller do when she fell down the well? Scream her hands off
@Rocky Loveridge: it would help, obviously you have a roof over your head with a comment like that “I’m all right Jack”
@John O’Neill: Yeah, we could eradicate the homeless problem and then end world hunger with whatever change was left over from the 18 mil.
@John O’Neill: who are the real homeless
@John O’Neill: 15 million would build about 50 houses in Dublin, if not less.
About half the money spent on Garda wages, salaries and overtime will have gone straight back to the State in PAYE, USC and so on. Money spent on accommodation, subsistence and presumably fuel generates VAT. The Commissioner is right to look for an extra allocation. If the benefit of the POTUS and VP visit is primarily diplomatic, then the cost should be borne by Foreign Affairs.
@John Considine: Over €100K of that subsistence you describe (food) went into Trump’s personal pocket. That’s the question here. Few people will argue with the importance of international relations, but almost everyone is horrified at the blatant corruption of Trump, which includes our tax money going to his family.
Its alright sure that will magically be made back by tourism or whatever excuse they will fire out to justify the expense……I doubt the visit of these two would entice the hardcore voter base they have to come visit us any time soon…..and we can be thankful for that as well too
@Michael Patrick Newell: doonbeg has yanks up there constantly, young lad I know caddies there and can make €300 in tips most weekends.
The TAX PAYER footed the bill ffs
@Maurice Dodd: Obamas 1 day visit to Moneygall in 2011 cost $16,000,000
@Means of escape: It didn’t go into Obama’s back pocket though. Surely you see the huge difference.
@bopter: a pocket that provided the funds to buy a place that couldn’t be given away and employ up to 200 people in the dead locality
Surely you see that ?
15 to 18 million is fairly cheap for the head of the USA to visit.
How much does that compare to our head of state appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s TV show.
The first means business, the second means a photo.
Or: We intend to spend 5 billion on a hospital and broadband (that’s E5,000,000,000 in numbers) the price of the USA visit is E18,000,000.
(THAT’S five thousand euros on hospital/broadband VS fifteen euros on a visit from the POTUS)
Think about it..
@Cormac Laffan:
Besides which, If a plane or train crashed one would hope that the state has a plan of action that isn’t constrained by a budget.
We’re seeking the cost back from the Government.. Don’t worry They used the same guy that does the stats on domestic crime and breath tests to calculate the cost of the visit
Wonder how many bugs Trump squashed while walking on that grass such a horrible man.
Dreadful, didgraceful and immoral waste of money. Why couldn’t those ‘dignitaries’ not pay for their own security, they surely have more than enough finances!!
@Conor Fagan: ya! The pope and the RCC are the most indignant crowd a wasters going!
1) Rather than welcoming the current POTUS, lets save up and welcome the exPOTUS war criminal, Obama. He’ll surely be over soon – plugging a new book or for a 500k speech, etc.
2) Disappointing (but not surprising) from the JUrinal from deflecting from the main issue, i.e. probable corrupt Biden family actions + corrupt actions of Obama admin and DNC around origins of Russiagate (Spygate).
Send an invoice. You’d never know. Might be processed
At least we won’t see another pope here ever again! Winning!
Lol I make that much every year
This should come from a state security budget and not the policing budget
How did it cost so much, can we have a breakdown please
Imagine how many social housing would have been built with that much money!!
@Driton Bajrami: imagine how many model citizens like the fine decent lads in South Tipperary would refuse to move into them unless they had air-conditioned stables, a sulky track and ten acres of grazing.
How many homes could be built for €18million ?
Wow soo many homeless n in need in this country and hay look whats been spent on a visit. If he wants to come here should pay for it himself or stay where he is.it makes me so nad
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