Members of the Indonesian United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on duty. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Two more Indonesian peacekeepers were killed and two others were injured after a blast of explosion hit the UN Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) logistics convoy on March 30 near Bani Hayyan, destroying their vehicles. This was the second incident within the past 24 hours following the Ett Taibe incident that killed one peacekeeper. In total, three Indonesian soldiers have been killed in two days.
Jakarta strongly condemned the attack. “The incident occurred amid reports of exchanges between the Israeli military and armed groups in southern Lebanon. Indonesia strongly condemns the incident and calls for a thorough and transparent investigation,” said Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono.
As a result of this adverse incident, Indonesia and France have called for a special meeting in the UN Security Council. Indonesian Ministry of Defence spokesperson also stated “the safety of peacekeeping troops must be the top priority and urged all conflicting parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the security of peacekeeping personnel.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the chief of the UN Peace Operations, said that the UNIFIL is filing an investigation “to determine the circumstances of these tragic developments”.
At a separate moment, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), through its Telegram channel, clarified this by stating: “It should be noted these incidents occurred in an active combat area. Therefore, it should not be assumed that incidents in which UNIFIL soldiers were harmed were caused by the IDF.”
As of March 31, both Lebanon and Israel are engaged in a high-intensity conflict as part of the wider Middle East crisis that started when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has since instructed the armed forces to ‘expand’ and start a ground offensive in the southern part of Lebanon.
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