UN probe: Israeli fire, Hezbollah IED killed Indonesian peacekeepers\nin Lebanon<\/p>\n
An Indonesian peacekeeper was killed on Mar 29 when a projectile\nexploded near a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) position. The next\nday, two other soldiers were killed in an explosion that destroyed their\nvehicle.<\/p>\n
Three Indonesian UN peacekeepers who died in Lebanon in March were\nlikely killed by Israeli tank fire in one incident and by a Hezbollah\nimprovised explosive device in another, according to a United Nations\nprobe shared on Tuesday (Apr 7).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have requested with the relevant parties that the cases be\ninvestigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the\nperpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability for crimes\nagainst peacekeepers,\u201d Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN\nsecretary-general, told reporters.<\/p>\n
Indonesian peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, was killed on Mar 29\nwhen a projectile exploded near a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)\nposition.<\/p>\n
In his case, the investigation indicates \u201cthe projectile was a 120 mm\ntank main armament round, fired by an Israel Defense Forces Merkava tank\nfrom the east,\u201d Dujarric said.<\/p>\n
He added that UNIFIL had communicated the location of all its\npositions and installations to the Israeli military twice in the days\nbefore the incident.<\/p>\n
The March 30 explosion was caused by an IED, Dujarric said.\nIndonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, 33, and Muhammad\nNur Ichwan, 26, were killed in the explosion, which destroyed their\nvehicle. Two other Indonesian soldiers were injured, one seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigation has assessed that, given the location of the\nincident, the nature of the explosion, and the current context, the IED\nwas most likely placed by Hezbollah,\u201d Dujarric said.<\/p>\n
UNIFIL has served as a peacekeeping force between Israel and Lebanon\nsince 1978 but now finds itself caught in the crossfire between the\nIsraeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it had received the\npreliminary findings from the UN.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government of Indonesia has urged all relevant parties to\ninvestigate and prosecute the perpetrators, and to ensure accountability\nfor the crimes committed against peacekeeping personnel,\u201d ministry\nofficial Veronica Vicka Ancilla Rompis told reporters in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
She said Israel\u2019s ongoing military operations in south Lebanon \u201cwill\ncontinue to endanger peacekeeping personnel\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll actions that endanger peacekeeping personnel constitute a\nserious violation of international law and must not be allowed to\ncontinue,\u201d added Vicka.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has sent a letter to the President of the\nUN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General expressing strong\ncondemnation of the repeated attacks on Indonesian peacekeepers,\naccording to Vicka.<\/p>\n
The government also urged the Security Council to ease tensions among\nall parties, including Israel, to prevent a broader open conflict, news\noutlet Kompas reported.<\/p>\n
Asked whether Indonesia was considering a halt to peacekeeper\ndeployments in Lebanon, ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said:\n\u201cEvery decision we make related to this issue will go through very, very\ncareful consideration\u201d.<\/p>\n
The three Indonesian soldiers were buried in their hometowns on\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Zulmi was buried in a military cemetery in his hometown in Bandung,\nWest Java, while Ichwan and Farizal were laid to rest in their\nrespective hometowns in Central Java and Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Their coffins were draped in the Indonesian flag during the military\nfunerals with gun salutes.<\/p>\n
On the same day, thousands of people gathered outside the United\nStates Embassy in Jakarta in a demonstration organised by the Council of\nIslamic Organisations.<\/p>\n
They were seen carrying Palestinian and Indonesian flags, news outlet\nJakarta Globe reported.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-probe-israeli-fire-hezbollah-ied-killed-indonesian-peacekeepers-in-lebanon-1775638391", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }