World community joins Jakarta to condemn Israel’s Lebanon strike injuring Indonesian peacekeepers

Many countries joined Jakarta on Friday in condemning as “unacceptable” an Israeli military strike at a United Nations base in southern Lebanon that injured two Indonesian peacekeepers the previous night.

But after Israel’s second strike in two days injured two more U.N. troops on Friday, the world body called it a “serious development” that had exposed its peacekeepers to “very serious risks.”

The strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “is an act of terror by Israel against the peacekeeping forces,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.

She added that the two Indonesian troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) suffered minor injuries but were under observation at a hospital near the border with Israel.

“Attacking U.N. personnel and property is a major violation of international humanitarian law … Indonesia urges all parties to ensure the inviolability of U.N. territory at all times and under all circumstances,” Retno said.

She called for a full investigation, saying Israel must be held accountable for the actions of its forces. 

IDF soldiers had a day before deliberately fired at and disabled UNIFIL’s perimeter-monitoring cameras, the U.N. force said, adding that its Naqoura headquarters at the Israeli border and nearby positions had been repeatedly hit in recent days.

“[The] two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall,” the interim force said in a statement that described the Israeli strike on Thursday.

“IDF soldiers also fired on U.N. position (UNP) 1-31 … hitting the entrance to the bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, and damaging vehicles and a communications system. An IDF drone was observed flying inside the U.N. position up to the bunker entrance,” it said.

Canada, the European Union and Italy called the attack on the UNIFIL base “unacceptable.” Spain, Ireland and Turkey also condemned the strike.

“This was not a mistake and not an accident,” Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto said at a news conference, reported Reuters news agency.

Italy and France summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their countries over the strikes.

Foreign Minister Retno said despite the strike, the troops from her country would not be intimidated.

“[We contribute] the fifth largest peacekeeping force in the world and the largest in UNIFIL,” she said.

“Indonesia will always support the mission of the U.N. peacekeeping mandate.”

UNIFIL was set up by the U.N. Security Council in 1978 to supervise Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon after it was invaded and to restore peace and security in the area. It consists of just over 10,000 troops from 50 countries

Indonesia is the largest contributor to UNIFIL with approximately 1,200 deployed peacekeepers, according to the U.N. Italy is a close second – contributing 1,078 troops, while Malaysia and Nepal contribute more than 800 troops, and France contributes 673 troops.

Indonesian military (TNI) spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Hariyanto, said that all members of the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon were safe and still performing their duties.

“The two TNI soldiers who sustained minor injuries in the incident are part of the U.N. peacekeeping force under U.N. mandate number 1701,” Hariyanto, who goes by one name, told BenarNews.

“The incident involved UNIFIL assets, and an attack by Israel falls entirely under UNIFIL’s authority to protest or raise objections against parties deemed to have violated the mandate of U.N. Resolution 1701,” he added.

The 2006 resolution calls for “full respect by both parties [Israel and Lebanon] for the Blue Line and security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Lebanese authorities and UNIFIL between the Blue Line and the Litani River.”

The Blue Line is a 74.5-mile boundary along Lebanon’s southern frontier and Israel’s northern border, which U.N. Peacekeeping calls “a key to peace in the region.” UNIFIL peacekeepers are its temporary custodian.

The expansion of the Middle East conflict is part of Israel’s Gaza campaign where its air and ground strikes have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians since Hamas fighters struck southern Israel in October 2023, killing a little over 1,100 people.

Israel says its Lebanon campaign aims to make northern Israel safe for the thousands of people it claims were forced to leave over the last year due to Hezbollah’s rocket fire. Hezbollah is a Lebanese armed group that was formed after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It also supports the cause of Palestinian nationhood and the Hamas militant group.

U.N. peacekeepers are being put “at very serious risks,” UNIFIL said after the second IDF strike on Friday.

This second attack occurred close to a U.N. observation tower in the same area as the first strike near the Naqoura headquarters. Barriers at UNIFIL’s position were also knocked down when an IDF bulldozer and tanks moved into the area, the U.N. force said.

UNIFIL said it was following up with the IDF about the strikes. 

“This is a serious development, and UNIFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times,” UNIFIL said in a statement after the second strike on Friday.

“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”