French UNIFIL Troops Fall in Lebanon, Indonesia: Unacceptable

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) has conveyed its condolences to the government and people of France over the death of French peacekeepers in an incident involving UNIFIL.

The ministry emphasised that the ceasefire is still in effect at present, making the attack that killed the French soldiers unacceptable.

“The attack that occurred in the midst of the 10-day ceasefire agreement is an unacceptable matter,” Kemenlu stated on its official X account on Sunday (19/4/2026).

Kemenlu stated that all parties must exercise restraint, respect state sovereignty, and uphold international law, including international humanitarian law.

“Indonesia continues to express its concerns over the continuous attacks on UNIFIL. Peacekeeping forces must not be targeted; such actions can be considered war crimes,” Kemenlu wrote.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has expressed solidarity with France and other troop-contributing countries.

Indonesia has reaffirmed the collective commitment to strengthening protection for UN peacekeeping forces, as reflected in the Joint Statement on the Safety and Security of UN Personnel on 9 April 2026.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that initial indications point to the involvement of the Hezbollah group in the incident.

“Everything points to Hezbollah being responsible for this attack,” Macron wrote on X, urging Lebanese authorities to immediately apprehend the perpetrators.

This incident occurred amid the 10-day ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon on Thursday (16/4/2026), to pave the way for negotiations to end the six-week war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group.