The Israeli Defence Forces' (IDF) has withdrawn from its position beside an outpost where a number of Irish peacekeepers are stationed.

THE UNITED NATIONS has confirmed that Israeli troops have left their position near the UN peacekeeper bases where Irish peacekeepers are stationed in southern Lebanon. Irish troops have been hunkering down in bases along the Blue Line at the Lebanon-Israel border as part of UNIFIL.

"The cessation of activity and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from their positions around the Irish post marks a positive development amidst heightened tensions in the region,"

The Israeli army has intensified its ground offensive in southern Lebanon, deploying a fourth division in its fight against the Islamist Hezbollah militia. A division is a large military unit composed of several brigades and typically includes thousands of soldiers.

Israel ramped up its invasion of Lebanon on Tuesday, deploying more troops and displacing civilians all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.