Three Indonesian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were killed in two distinct incidents in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL said, following a weekend of lethal Israeli strikes that also cost the lives of Lebanese journalists and medical personnel.
UNIFIL reported that two peacekeepers died on Monday when an explosion of unknown origin obliterated their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon. Two additional soldiers were wounded in that blast. Separately, another Indonesian peacekeeper was killed overnight from Sunday into Monday after a projectile detonated close to a UN position near the southern village of Adchit al-Qusayr. At the time of that explosion, a further peacekeeper was left in critical condition.
The death sustained overnight Sunday was the first fatality among UNIFIL personnel since the outbreak of renewed hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on March 2. UNIFIL’s spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said these were being treated as two separate incidents and that investigations were ongoing.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry confirmed that one of the deceased was a citizen of Indonesia and said three others had been injured by what it described as "indirect artillery fire." The ministry issued a statement condemning the second attack "in the strongest terms," adding: "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."
In a post on X on Tuesday, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council and urged "for a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation" into what he termed a "heinous attack" after discussions with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Israel’s military said early on Tuesday that it was aware of reports of the two incidents and that they were being carefully reviewed to determine whether the explosions were caused by Hezbollah activity or by the military’s own operations.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N. peacekeeping chief, told reporters in a briefing on Monday: "We strongly condemn these unacceptable incidents - peacekeepers must never be a target."
UNIFIL is deployed along the demarcation line with Israel to monitor hostilities in a zone that has become the focal point of clashes between Israeli forces and fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah. The confrontation escalated after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in what it said was solidarity with Tehran, an action that followed an attack on Iran involving Israel and the United States. Hezbollah’s firing prompted a new Israeli ground and air offensive.
According to Lebanese authorities, more than 1,240 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon. That toll includes more than 120 children, nearly 80 women and dozens of paramedics. Separately, more than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since March 2, a figure cited by two sources familiar with Hezbollah’s count.
The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings on Monday to residents of six villages in Lebanon’s western Bekaa region, a move UNIFIL noted was the first such warning for those communities. The military said the warning was prompted by militant activity in the area but did not provide further details.
Fresh airstrikes struck several towns in southern Lebanon on Monday, and at least one strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. The Israeli military said strikes in Beirut targeted commanders it accused of coordinating between Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups.
Over the weekend, the Lebanese health ministry reported that at least 10 paramedics were killed in Israeli strikes. Three journalists were killed on Saturday when their car was struck. The Israeli military has accused some Hezbollah operatives of posing as Lebanese paramedics and has also alleged that certain journalists killed were linked to the group's intelligence or military functions, though it has not publicly produced evidence to substantiate those claims.
Lebanon’s health ministry has denied that ambulances or health facilities are being used for military purposes. Lebanon’s presidency described the journalists who were targeted as "civilians performing a professional duty."
Israel has stated an intention to establish control over a buffer zone reaching up to the Litani River, which runs about 30 km (20 miles) north of the Israeli-Lebanese border. Israeli ground troops have been advancing into Lebanese border towns and have been demolishing homes in the area.
On Monday, Israel’s military said a sixth of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s armed forces reported that a Lebanese soldier had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. At least nine Lebanese soldiers have been killed by Israel, the reporting said. Lebanon’s army has not been engaged in fighting Israeli forces.
Context and implications
The deaths of UN peacekeepers underscore the increasingly perilous environment in southern Lebanon as the conflict intensifies. UNIFIL’s role as a monitor of the demarcation line places its personnel in proximity to active combatants and strikes, raising acute concerns about the operational safety of peacekeeping missions in contested zones.
Indonesia’s public calls for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting and for a comprehensive probe reflect mounting international pressure for accountability and clarity over the origins of the explosions that claimed the peacekeepers’ lives.