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Indonesia issued a sharp condemnation Saturday of Israel's ongoing military operations in southern Lebanon, warning that continued incursions are placing United Nations peacekeepers in "sustained danger" after a third serious incident in less than a week left three more Indonesian personnel injured.
The blast, which occurred Friday in the village of El Addaiseh, struck troops serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL. Jakarta's Foreign Ministry described the explosion as part of a troubling pattern, noting it was the third grave incident involving its forces in fewer than seven days.
Earlier in the week, three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed and five others wounded in a separate incident, the deadliest blow yet to Indonesia's contingent in the force.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry, in a statement to Anadolu, called the pattern of incidents "utterly unacceptable" and demanded that the UN Security Council urgently address deteriorating conditions on the ground. Jakarta also called on troop- and police-contributing countries to convene an emergency meeting to strengthen protection measures for peacekeepers operating in the region.
The ministry further demanded a "thorough, transparent, and independent investigation" into the El Addaiseh blast, including the identification of those responsible and accountability for the harm caused.
Indonesia linked the incidents directly to Israeli military activity along the border, warning that Israel's stated intention to maintain a presence in southern Lebanon risks deepening instability. "Israel's continuing military operations in southern Lebanon, including stated intentions to maintain a presence, risk further destabilizing the situation and placing United Nations peacekeepers in sustained danger," the ministry said.
As the diplomatic fallout intensified, the bodies of the three Indonesian peacekeepers killed earlier in the week, Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, M. Nur Ichwan, and Farizal Rhomadhon, arrived at Jakarta's airport on Saturday. Their flag-draped coffins were received in a formal ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto and senior government officials.
Prabowo offered a pointed condemnation of those responsible, saying the Indonesian government and people "strongly condemn any heinous act that undermines peace and results in the loss of our nation's finest soldiers." He called on Indonesians to maintain their commitment to peace and unity.
Indonesia is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping operations globally and has maintained a long-standing deployment with UNIFIL, the force established in 1978 to monitor the cessation of hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel border. The force, which comprises thousands of troops from dozens of nations, has come under increasing pressure as Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon has intensified.
Jakarta reiterated Saturday that the safety of UN peacekeepers is "non-negotiable" and that any harm to them constitutes a serious violation of international law, warning that such incidents must not go unanswered.
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