JAKARTA: The government has called for a thorough investigation into two incidents in Lebanon that left three Indonesian peacekeepers dead, following the release of preliminary findings from a United Nations probe that highlighted the probable roles of Israel and Hezbollah in the deadly events.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry acting director for international security and peace, Veronica Vicka Ancilla Rompis, said that Jakarta had responded to the UN findings by requesting an exhaustive probe, and had also urged “all relevant parties” to carry out simultaneous investigations to prosecute those responsible.
“The Indonesian government has taken note of the investigation’s findings and called on the UN to complete a full probe. […] We also support the UN Interim Force in Lebanon [UNIFIL] in lodging a formal protest with the relevant parties,” Vicka said.
“Indonesia reiterates that the safety and security of UN peacekeeping personnel are non-negotiable. Any actions that endanger peacekeepers constitute a serious violation of international law and must not be allowed to continue,” she added.
On Tuesday, more than a week after the two incidents in southern Lebanon that killed three Indonesian peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, released the preliminary findings from the UN probe into the fatalities.
According to the probe, the first incident on March 29, in which Chief Pvt. Farizal Rhomadon was killed near the Indonesian base at Adchit al-Qusayr, was caused by a 120-millimeter tank round fired from the east by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Merkava tank.
The incident, which also wounded three other Indonesian blue helmets, happened despite UNIFIL having previously communicated the location of all its positions and installations to the Israeli military on March 6 and 22 to mitigate the risk to peacekeepers.
On this finding, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said: “Indonesia strongly condemns the Israeli attack that killed an Indonesian serviceman carrying out his mandate as a UN peacekeeper”.
Meanwhile, the second incident on March 30 in Bani Hayyan, in which Capt. Zulmi Aditya Iskandar and First Sgt. Muhammad Nur were killed, was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that exploded when the vehicle carrying the peacekeepers made contact with it.
While conclusive results of the IED remained unknown for now, Dujarric of the UN said that “given the location of the incident, the nature of the explosion and the current context, the [IED] was most likely placed by Hezbollah”.
“We have requested with the relevant parties that the [two] cases be investigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability for crimes against peacekeepers,” Dujarric told a press conference in New York on Tuesday.
Jakarta has yet to make any statements regarding Hezbollah’s potential role in the second incident.
The fatal events marked the most serious incidents reported so far by the Indonesian contingent of UNIFIL since early March, when Israel’s war expanded into Lebanon, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing around 1 million.
Israeli forces continued strikes and issued new evacuation orders in southern Lebanon on Wednesday despite a new US-Iran ceasefire and Hezbollah pausing its attacks, with Tel Aviv insisting that Lebanon was not covered by the truce.
Vicka of the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta said the events leading to the peacekeepers’ deaths were “inseparable” from the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, slamming Tel Aviv’s unrelenting attacks on the country.
“Indonesia continues to firmly condemn Israel’s attacks in southern Lebanon, which have significantly increased the risks faced by UN peacekeeping personnel,” Vicka said.
“Israel’s ongoing military operations in southern Lebanon, including statements about maintaining a presence in the area, risk further destabilizing the situation and will continue to endanger peacekeepers,” she added.
