Indonesia calls for urgent UN meeting after UNIFIL soldiers killed amid Israel's invasion of Lebanon
Indonesian foreign ministry says attacks on peacekeepers are unacceptable and demands urgent Security Council action.
Indonesia on Tuesday condemned the Israeli attacks on Lebanon while seeking an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the killing of three of its peacekeepers in Lebanon.
"The recurrence of such heinous attacks against Indonesian peacekeepers within a short span of time is utterly unacceptable," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on the US social media platform X.
"This cannot be treated as an isolated occurrence, but reflects a rapidly deteriorating security environment in southern Lebanon, where ongoing Israeli military operations have placed United Nations peacekeepers at grave risk," it said.
Earlier on Monday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over the killing of three of its peacekeepers in Lebanon.
"The safety and security of UN peacekeepers is non-negotiable and must be upheld at all times," said Sugiono, who goes by only one name, during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to his X account.
Sugiono also said he appreciated Guterres' condolences and the UN’s readiness to cooperate closely with Indonesia, adding that an emergency UN Security Council meeting and "a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation" were called for.
UNIFIL personnel are in danger of attacks
Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in a blast targeting their vehicle in southern Lebanon on Monday, marking the second such incident within 24 hours.
On Sunday, another Indonesian peacekeeper was killed when a projectile struck a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) position near the town of Adshit al-Qusayr.
Israel has pounded Lebanon with air strikes and launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah responded to the killing of Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in an Israeli-US strike on March 2.
The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and infrastructure damage while disrupting global markets and aviation.