Two more Indonesian peacekeepers killed in Lebanon, bringing total to three

JAKARTA: Two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in an explosion in South Lebanon on Monday (Mar 30), bringing the death toll to three after another was killed in a separate incident the previous day.

They were the first deaths among the United Nations peacekeeping force in the new war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which erupted on Mar 2, Reuters reported.

The incident on Monday also injured two Indonesian soldiers "when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle" in Bani Hayyan, the United Nations (UN) said. 

The explosion struck a logistics convoy in the Indonesian contingent’s operational area at around 11am local time, according to a circulated military brief confirmed by the UN sources. 

It struck the first of six tactical convoy vehicles as it was about to turn, killing two soldiers and injuring two others inside the vehicle, the statement added. The convoy was on a mission to deliver logistics and transport a coffin for the soldier killed a day earlier.

The two soldiers killed on Monday are Captain Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, the company commander and member of the Indonesian army’s special forces, and First Sergeant Ikhwan, according to the military brief.

Indonesia has condemned Sunday’s artillery attack, which occurred “in the vicinity” of the Indonesian base of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near Adchit al-Qusayr in southern Lebanon and injured three of its soldiers. 

Its Foreign Ministry said on Monday that any harm targeting peacekeepers was “unacceptable and undermines collective efforts to maintain peace and stability”.

UNIFIL said it did not know the origin of the projectile in Sunday’s incident and has launched an investigation to determine “all of the circumstances”. 

UNIFIL is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel - an area that is at the heart of clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

The soldier who died on Sunday has been identified as Chief Private Fahrizal Romadhon, 28.

“We pay our highest respect and highest appreciation to our fallen soldiers," said Foreign Minister Sugiono on Monday on the sidelines of President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Tokyo. Sugiono reiterated Indonesia’s condemnation of Israel’s attacks in southern Lebanon.

In a social media post on X on Tuesday, he called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting and "for a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation" into the "heinous attack" after speaking with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Israel's military said early on Tuesday it is aware of the reports regarding the two incidents and they are being reviewed thoroughly to determine whether they resulted from Hezbollah or the military's activity.

Guterres said attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.

"We strongly condemn these unacceptable incidents - peacekeepers must never be a target," the UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters in a briefing on Monday.

PARAMEDICS, JOURNALISTS KILLED

Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in solidarity with Tehran, two days after Iran was attacked by Israel and the United States. 

Hezbollah's attack prompted a new Israeli ground and air offensive. More than 1,240 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities. They include more than 120 children, nearly 80 women and dozens of paramedics.

More than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since Mar 2, according to two sources familiar with Hezbollah's count. The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents of six villages in Lebanon's western Bekaa region on Monday, in the first such warning for those areas.

The military said the warning was prompted by what it described as militant activity in the area, without providing further details.

Fresh airstrikes hit 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 responsible for coordination between Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups. At least 10 paramedics were killed over the weekend in Israeli strikes, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Three journalists were killed in an Israeli strike on their car on Saturday.

The Israeli military has accused Hezbollah operatives of posing as Lebanese paramedics, and has said that some journalists it killed were part of the group's intelligence or military wing. It has not publicly provided evidence to support those claims.

Lebanon's health ministry has denied that any ambulances or health facilities are used for military purposes. Lebanon's presidency has said that targeted journalists are "civilians performing a professional duty". 

Israel has said it intends to control a buffer zone up to the Litani River, which runs about 30 km north of the Lebanese border with Israel.

Its ground troops have been pushing into Lebanese border towns and demolishing homes in the area.

Israel's military said on Monday that a sixth soldier had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon. Lebanon's armed forces said that a Lebanese soldier had been killed in an Israeli airstrike. At least nine Lebanese soldiers have been killed by Israel.

Lebanon's army has not been fighting Israeli forces.

The escalating conflict in the Middle East has also prompted Indonesia to suspend indefinitely the deployment of 8,000 peacekeeping troops to Gaza. 

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi announced the decision on Mar 17 after a coordination meeting at the Ministry of Defence, citing the security situation there, news agency Antara reported.

Additional reporting by Adhitya Ramadhan