Three TNI soldiers killed, Israel denies attacking UN forces in Lebanon

Moscow (ANTARA) - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have denied involvement in an attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that killed three TNI soldiers.

“In the past 24 hours, the IDF has reviewed the incident on Monday (30/3), in which UNIFIL forces were reported injured due to an explosion in the Bani Hayyan area, southern Lebanon,” the IDF stated on Telegram on Tuesday (31/3).

They claimed not to have planted any explosive devices and “none of our forces were at that location.”

UNIFIL had previously reported that an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed on Sunday after a projectile struck one of its positions.

On Monday, UNIFIL also reported that two other Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in an attack on their patrol vehicle in the Bani Hayyan area.

On Tuesday, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York at the request of Indonesia and France.

“We state clearly, and this needs to be repeated many times, that peacekeeping forces must not be targeted,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix during the meeting.

The escalation between Israel and Hezbollah began on 2 March, when the group continued rocket attacks on Israeli territory amid the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

In response, Israel launched major strikes on Lebanon, including southern areas, the Beqaa Valley, and the outskirts of Beirut.

On 16 March, the Israeli military announced the launch of a ground operation in southern Lebanon.