Indonesia on Saturday received the bodies of three peacekeepers killed while on deployment in Lebanon, condemning as “unacceptable” an explosion that also injured three of its troops serving under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
The UN mission said three peacekeepers were wounded in a blast inside a UN facility near El Adeisse on Friday afternoon and were taken to hospital, with two reported to be in serious condition.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said the “origin of the explosion” remained unclear but confirmed the injured personnel were Indonesian.
“Repeated attacks or incidents of this kind are unacceptable,” the ministry said.
“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 called on the United Nations Security Council to investigate the incidents and urgently convene a meeting of troop-contributing countries to review safety measures and enhance protection for personnel.
Friday’s explosion came days after an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed on March 29 when a projectile detonated in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in fighting linked to the wider Middle East conflict.
A UN security source indicated that Israeli tank fire was responsible for that earlier incident. A day later, two more Indonesian peacekeepers were killed when an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy in the same region.
The remains of the three fallen soldiers arrived in Jakarta on Saturday, where a solemn ceremony was held at the airport. Their coffins, draped in the Indonesian flag, were carried by fellow soldiers as grieving families looked on.
President Prabowo Subianto attended the ceremony, paying his respects by saluting the portraits of the deceased and offering condolences to their relatives.
Speaking earlier, the father of one of the victims, 33-year-old Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, expressed shock at the loss, stressing that peacekeepers were not deployed for combat.
“We were really sad and regretful, because this is a UN troop, a peacekeeping troop, not deployed for war,” he said.
The military has pledged financial assistance to the bereaved families.
Following the latest attack, Armed Forces Commander Agus Subiyanto directed Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon to remain in bunkers and suspend outdoor activities.
Despite the rising risks, the Indonesian National Armed Forces said it would proceed with plans to deploy more than 750 personnel to Lebanon next month as part of the routine rotation under the UN peacekeeping mission.