Repatriation of the Bodies of Three Fallen TNI Soldiers in Lebanon
The bodies of three Indonesian National Army (TNI) soldiers who perished in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon were transported to their respective regions on Saturday evening, 4 April 2026, using TNI Air Force aircraft. This followed a procession of lying in state and farewell held at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, Banten.
President Prabowo Subianto, accompanied by several cabinet ministers, attended the lying in state procession. During the event, the Head of State shook hands and spoke with the victims’ families who were present. Here are the key facts.
Identities of the deceased soldiers
The three fatalities were Major Infantry (Posthumous) Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Corporal (Posthumous) Farizal Rhomadhon, and Sergeant (Posthumous) Muhammad Nur Ichwan. Two TNI Air Force aircraft were prepared to transport the three bodies around 19:40 WIB. Corporal (Posthumous) Farizal Rhomadhon and Sergeant (Posthumous) Muhammad Nur Ichwan were flown to their residences in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta.
Meanwhile, Major Infantry (Posthumous) Zulmi Aditya Iskandar was flown to Bandung, West Java. The families present at the lying in state and farewell ceremony accompanied the bodies to their home regions.
The bodies of the three TNI soldiers who fell in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon were victims of an Israeli attack on 29 and 30 March 2026. Before being flown to Indonesia, UNIFIL held a tribute ceremony for the three bodies at Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday, 2 April 2026.
The three bodies, escorted by Turkish Airlines, arrived in Indonesia on Saturday afternoon, 4 April 2026. The bodies were departed from Beirut, Lebanon, the day before.
Lying in state procession
The lying in state procession for the TNI soldiers’ bodies was attended by several state officials, including President Prabowo Subianto, Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, Deputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan, and Deputy Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Lodewijk F. Paulus.
Also present were National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Foreign Minister Sugiono, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, and the chiefs of staff of the military branches.
The families’ tears flowed as they received their sons’ bodies. Representatives of the families from the Yonmek Konga XXIII-S UNIFIL Task Force appeared to embrace their sons’ coffins throughout the procession to the tune of “Gugur Bunga” composed by Ismail Marzuki.
Prabowo’s condemnation
Prabowo expressed strong condemnation of the heinous act that caused the deaths of Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Farizal Rhomadhon, and Muhammad Nur Ichwan. According to him, the act damages world peace, and he called on all parties not to allow space for dividing national unity.
He stated that the state would commit to honouring the heroes’ services, including safeguarding the honour of the soldiers and ensuring that the sacrifices made by the nation’s military personnel are never forgotten.
“The Indonesian nation mourns the passing of three TNI soldiers in their noble duty as UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon,” said Prabowo in a caption on his personal Instagram account, @prabowo, on Saturday, 4 April 2026.
Government’s call to the UN Security Council
The Indonesian government has requested the United Nations Security Council to immediately hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the attack on peacekeeping forces in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Sugiono stated that France, as the pen holder for Lebanon in the UN Security Council, has approved Indonesia’s request.
The main agenda is to strongly condemn the attack that resulted in casualties. “We strongly condemn the attack carried out against the peacekeepers, in this case UNIFIL. We also demand a thorough investigation,” he said at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Saturday, quoted from Antara.
According to this Gerindra Secretary General, the demand for a thorough investigation is proposed to clarify the cause of the incident and the responsible parties. The Indonesian government, he said, emphasises that the safety of international personnel must be the top priority.