SBY Delivers Message to TNI Troops in Lebanon: Take Care, Families Await Back Home
JAKARTA - Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has asked the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) troops stationed in Lebanon to take good care of themselves.
SBY reminded the troops that their families are waiting for them to return to Indonesia.
“As an elder and senior in the TNI, I convey to the Garuda XXIII/S contingent troops still in Lebanon to remain enthusiastic in carrying out their noble duties. Do your best and take good care of yourselves. The families who love you are waiting for your return to the homeland,” SBY wrote on his X account on Sunday (5/4/2026).
SBY stated that he feels a moral obligation to advocate for justice for the TNI troops who became victims in Lebanon.
The deployment of those troops was first carried out when the war between Israel and Lebanon broke out in August 2006.
SBY recalled that at that time, the UN Security Council had not yet taken effective steps to stop the war, especially since many casualties were falling on the Lebanese side.
“When Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi (deceased) visited Jakarta, I proposed that he, in his capacity as Chair of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), hold an emergency meeting to urge the UN to act immediately,” he explained.
In that meeting, SBY conveyed that Indonesia was ready to send one battalion as part of the peacekeeping mission on the Israel-Lebanon border.
This meant that, after the ceasefire achieved through UN efforts, Indonesia was ready to monitor the implementation of that ceasefire.
SBY admitted he still remembers it well, as it also required the use of mechanised combat vehicles.
The problem was that Indonesia’s Anoa military vehicles were not yet ready.
“Alhamdulillah, France was willing and even the delivery process was swift because in procuring that defence equipment, I used the G to G (government to government) format. Indeed, at that time we did not involve private parties,” SBY explained.
As a result, Indonesia’s first contingent, Garuda XXIII/A, was able to depart for Lebanon in November 2006, or three months after the Israel-Lebanon war broke out.
He then highlighted that three ministers in President Prabowo Subianto’s current cabinet were once part of that Indonesian contingent.
Namely, Captain Cav Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman, First Lieutenant Inf Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, and First Lieutenant Cav Ossy Dermawan. Up to 2026, our contingents have served in Lebanon 19 times with an average assignment period of one year. Perhaps this is the longest UN mission undertaken by Indonesian forces,” SBY added.