Lebanon | Man handed down death sentence for the murder of a Donegal soldier

A man has been sentenced to death for the murder of Private Seán Rooney, a soldier from Newtown Cunningham (Ireland), in Lebanon.

Mohammad Ayyad was not in court when the decision was handed down.

A number of his co-accused were given lighter sentences.

The 24-year-old was serving with UNIFIL forces in Lebanon when he was shot dead while travelling in a convoy in December 2022.

The UNIFIL forces refers to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a peacekeeping mission established in 1978 by the UN Security Council.

UNIFIL consists of peacekeepers from numerous countries. It works as an impartial observer and intermediary, and assists the Lebanese Government in restoring its effective authority in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL is still active and deployed in Lebanon. Its mandate was last renewed on August 28, 2024, until August 31, 2025, by UN Security Council Resolution 2749 (2024).

As of May 1, 2025, UNIFIL has over 10,000 peacekeepers from 47 troop-contributing countries.

Yesterday, the main defendant in the trial for his murder was given a death sentence for his part in Private Rooney’s killing.

Lebanon, however, has had a moratorium on the death penalty and hasn’t carried out any executions for over 20 years.

Both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have welcomed the conviction.

Micheál Martin and Simon Harris have paid tribute to the courage of Private Rooney and said their thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues at such a difficult time.

Source: highlandradio.com, DPN, Staff, July 29, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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