MP calls for evaluation of TNI deployment in Lebanon

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Oleh Soleh, has called on the Indonesian government to promptly conduct a thorough evaluation of the deployment of TNI soldiers in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon. This statement comes in response to the death of one TNI soldier due to an Israeli attack on the UNIFIL headquarters in Lebanon. According to him, the current security situation in the area poses a grave risk to personnel safety. “With the situation heating up due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, TNI soldiers are at risk of becoming targets of attacks. This must be a serious concern for the government,” said Oleh Soleh in his statement in Jakarta on Monday. He assessed that the ongoing escalation of the conflict should be strategically considered to avoid further loss of Indonesian lives. He encouraged the government to consider concrete steps, including the possibility of a temporary withdrawal of TNI troops from the conflict area until the situation is deemed safer. “The safety of soldiers must be the top priority. Evaluating the assignment up to the option of temporarily withdrawing troops from the UNIFIL mission needs to be considered immediately,” he stated. Oleh Soleh strongly condemned the attack carried out by Israel, which resulted in the death of a TNI soldier who was carrying out a world peacekeeping mission with UNIFIL in Lebanon. He expressed profound condolences over the passing of the TNI soldier. He emphasised that the dedication of soldiers in peacekeeping missions is a noble duty that must be respected by all parties. “I strongly condemn the Israeli attack that killed the TNI soldier. This is a humanitarian tragedy and a violation of the spirit of world peace,” said Oleh Soleh. As reported, UNIFIL stated that one TNI peacekeeping soldier was killed after being struck by a projectile that hit one of the guard posts on Sunday (29/3) night local time. The projectile exploded at a guard post near the village of Adchit al Qusayr in southern Lebanon. In addition to the one TNI soldier who was killed, another TNI personnel was also critically injured due to the projectile explosion.