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Indonesia slams 'unacceptable' peacekeeper casualties in Lebanon

The government urged the United Nations Security Council to hold a meeting between UNIFIL-contributing countries to take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with the peacekeeping force.

Agencies
Jakarta
Sat, April 4, 2026 Published on Apr. 4, 2026 Published on 2026-04-04T16:34:05+07:00

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Fallen heroes: The ceremony to release and honor the remains of three Indonesian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is held on April 2, 2026, at the Lebanese Air Force hangar in Beirut, Lebanon. UNIFIL held a memorial service as a final tribute to the three soldiers who were killed during a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon before their repatriation to Indonesia. Fallen heroes: The ceremony to release and honor the remains of three Indonesian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is held on April 2, 2026, at the Lebanese Air Force hangar in Beirut, Lebanon. UNIFIL held a memorial service as a final tribute to the three soldiers who were killed during a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon before their repatriation to Indonesia. (Antara/Handout/Indonesian Embassy to Lebanon)

T

he government has slammed as "unacceptable" an explosion that injured three of its peacekeepers in Lebanon within days of three other blue helmets from the country being killed.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed that three Indonesian peacekeepers were wounded in a blast which origin was "unknown" that occurred inside a UN facility near El Adeisse on Friday afternoon, and rushed to hospital. Two were seriously wounded.

"Repeated attacks or incidents of this kind are unacceptable," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. "Regardless of their cause, these events underscore the urgent need to strengthen protection for UN peacekeeping forces amid an increasingly dangerous conflict situation."

The government urged the United Nations Security Council to investigate the events and "to immediately convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL to conduct a review and take measures to enhance the protection of personnel serving with UNIFIL".

Read also: Indonesian Muslim groups rally behind Iran amid escalating war

Friday's incident came just days after an Indonesian peacekeeper died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war.

A UN security source told AFP on condition of anonymity Tuesday that fire from an Israeli tank was responsible for that attack.

A day later, two more Indonesian peacekeepers died after an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy, also in southern Lebanon.

Read also: Most Indonesians push back on BoP membership, Gaza troop plan

The father of one of the two fallen soldiers, 33-year-old Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, said this week he was shocked that peacekeepers were losing their lives in the conflict.

"We were really sad and regretful, because this is a UN troop, a peacekeeping troop, not deployed for war," 60-year-old Iskandarudin told reporters at his house in West Java.

The bodies of the three peacekeepers are scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Saturday evening, according to the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The TNI previously said it will deploy more than 750 personnel to Lebanon next month as part of the scheduled UNIFIL peacekeeping troop rotation.

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