Foreign Minister Responds to Proposal to Withdraw TNI Troops from Lebanon

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Foreign Minister Sugiono admitted he has not heard the proposal for the government to withdraw peacekeeping troops stationed in Lebanon following the Israeli attack that killed one TNI soldier and injured three others.

However, Sugiono emphasised that the government would discuss necessary steps if such a proposal emerges.

“To be honest, I’ve just heard about it; it hasn’t reached me yet, but of course, if there are steps in that direction, they will certainly be discussed further,” Sugiono said in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday (30/3/2026), quoted from Kompas TV.

He reaffirmed that Indonesia strongly condemns this incident as well as the attacks carried out by Israel in southern Lebanon.

Sugiono also urged all involved parties to de-escalate and implement a ceasefire.

He stressed that all problems should ideally be resolved through negotiation tables, while the current escalation only has a negative impact on the population.

“Well, therefore, if the conditions indeed cannot be declared safe, it would be advisable for the government to carry out what is called a withdrawal or also an evaluation of our soldiers’ presence in Lebanon,” said Dave when met at the DPR RI Building, on Monday (30/3/2026).

The Golkar politician also highlighted the effectiveness of Indonesia’s peacekeeping troops in Lebanon amid the heating up of conflicts in Middle Eastern countries.

“And this also becomes an opportunity to make corrections or to see whether our soldiers’ presence is truly functioning or not. Because clearly, with the non-stop attacks that continue, even to the point of killing our soldiers,” Dave explained.