The Government is to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure the continuation of UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, where more than 300 Irish troops are serving.
There are concerns the Trump administration in Washington could seek to block or change the mission, known as Unifil, when the United Nations Security Council decides on the future of the operation in August.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Harris will tell the Cabinet on Tuesday that Ireland believes the Unifil mission is key to maintaining stability in the region.
He is expected to say the State firmly supports the Unifil mission remaining as a peacekeeping operation under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, which deals with the peaceful settlements of disputes.
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Mr Harris’s Cabinet memo will identify different scenarios that could play out in the weeks ahead, including that the mission could shrink with a reduced budget.
About 340 Irish Defence Forces personnel are deployed in Lebanon. A similar number of Irish troops are scheduled to travel to Lebanon in November as part of the next rotation of UN personnel.
It is understood the Tánaiste will acknowledge at Cabinet that there will be challenging factors to the negotiations ahead of any decision on the renewal of the Unifil mandate.
Mr Harris will tell colleagues he intends to engage with counterparts from the US, France, Lebanon and the UK and will reinforce the Irish position that the mandate should be renewed.
There are concerns internationally that the US will vote against its extension or will move to scale it back through reduced funding.
The Israeli media has reported that authorities there believe Israel’s strikes on Lebanon last year weakened Hizbullah, meaning Lebanese armed forces are capable of suppressing the group without the need for the 10,500-strong Unifil force in the region.
