MPR Requests Government to Withdraw Peacekeeping Troops from Lebanon

MPR Chairman Ahmad Muzani has requested that the government withdraw all TNI soldiers currently serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. This demand follows the deaths of three TNI soldiers in the area over the past two days. TNI soldier Praka Farizal Rhomadhon was killed by a projectile explosion near an Indonesian post in Adchit Al Qusayr village on Sunday (29/3). Then, on Monday (30/3), Captain Inf Zulmi Aditya Iskandar and Sergeant Major Muhammad Nur Ichwan died in an explosion involving the vehicle they were travelling in. Muzani stated that the troops should be withdrawn if there is no guarantee of safety for the personnel on duty. “In accordance with the constitution which mandates protecting the entire nation and Indonesian blood, Indonesia should withdraw its troops from that peacekeeping mission because this is a dangerous area for TNI safety as seen in southern Lebanon,” Muzani said at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Tuesday (31/3). Muzani said the MPR strongly condemns Israel’s actions in the region that led to the deaths of TNI soldiers. “The People’s Consultative Assembly urges the UN Security Council to immediately hold an investigation session and impose sanctions on Israel,” Muzani stated. The MPR proposes that the government provide recognition to the TNI soldiers who died, those who were injured, and the families left behind. “The People’s Consultative Assembly extends its deepest condolences for the fallen and injured TNI soldiers who were carrying out constitutional duties and UN mandates in southern Lebanon,” he said. UNIFIL is deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor conflicts along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. The area often becomes a hotspot for clashes between Israeli military forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. UNIFIL has around 10,000 peacekeeping personnel from various countries, with approximately 1,200 being TNI soldiers.