On 6 April 1980, clashes between UNIFIL peacekeepers and the South Lebanon Army (an Israeli-backed Lebanese militia) began at At Tiri, when the SLA attacked Irish troops based in the village.

During the battle, two UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed: Stephen Griffin, a 21-year-old private from the 46th Irish Battalion (and a native of Rahoon in County Galway), and Sevati Sovonaivalu of the Fijian Army.

[5][6][7] Following the battle, Major Saad Haddad of the SLA gave an ultimatum to UNIFIL to either compensate the family of Massoud Bazzi or to produce the bodies of the two deceased UN soldiers.

[9] The US officer, Harry Klein, later noted that the operation was not properly planned and should have been coordinated with militia leaders and the Israelis.

Klein ordered it to continue even after warning signs became apparent along the route when it passed through a normally busy militia checkpoint.

Friends and relatives of Privates Barrett and Smallhorne had been seeking his deportation to Lebanon to face war crimes charges.

[13] In late 2015, Mahmoud Bazzi was arrested and put on trial before a Beirut military court with a seven-judge panel.

John O'Mahony gave evidence during the trial, and positively identified Bazzi as the man who shot him and led Barrett and Smallhorne away.

[15] In 2018 it was reported that Bazzi had been found guilty in a Lebanese military court of "collaboration with Israel" and sentenced to 5 years of "hard labour".