Parliament Urges Government to Consider Withdrawing TNI from Lebanon
Deputy Chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives, Dave Akbarshah Fikarno, has urged the government to assess the effectiveness of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) presence in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The request comes in the wake of one TNI soldier’s death due to the impact of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday, 29 March 2026.
He suggested that Indonesia follow Italy’s example, which is planning to withdraw its troops from the conflict zone. “If the conditions cannot be deemed safe, it would be advisable for the government to carry out a withdrawal and evaluation of our soldiers’ presence in Lebanon,” he said at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, 30 March 2026.
According to Dave, the incident of a TNI soldier dying during the peacekeeping mission serves as a strong signal for Indonesia to question the mission’s success. Rather than peace, the Golkar Party politician stated that what is occurring in Lebanon is fighting that has even claimed the life of an Indonesian soldier. “Is our presence useful for maintaining peace or merely a target of attacks from the Israel Defense Forces?” he said.
Additionally, Dave called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge the UN to conduct an investigation into the attack in Lebanon that killed the TNI soldier. He emphasised that the government must provide a sense of justice for the victim’s family. “Who carried out the attack, and where was the target intended to be hit that resulted in our casualty, or was it due to incorrect information from the attackers?” he explained.
Previously, the Ministry of Defence stated that the escalating security situation in Lebanon had resulted in one TNI soldier’s death and injuries to several other personnel. “One person died, one is in serious condition with injuries, and two with minor injuries who are currently receiving medical treatment,” said the Head of the Defence Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, in his statement on Monday, 30 March 2026.
According to Rico, the incident occurred during an exchange of artillery fire in the operational area. To date, UNIFIL is still clarifying the process to ensure the complete chronology of the event. Rico said that TNI Headquarters would provide more complete and updated information regarding the incident. “Further operational developments will be conveyed by the TNI,” he stated.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the incident. In a statement on the X platform on the same day, Guterres noted that an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed in an event occurring amid hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
According to him, the incident is part of a series of events endangering the safety of peacekeeping forces. “I call on all parties to fulfil their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety of UN personnel and property at all times,” Guterres said.