To Protect UNIFIL, Observer Suggests Indonesia Partner with France at UN Security Council
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia could propose an emergency session of the UN Security Council by partnering with France to bolster multilateral lobbying following the casualties among UNIFIL troops in Lebanon, according to an observer.
“Indonesia could request an emergency Security Council session by partnering with France, which is a Security Council member, given that French troops were recently also victims in Lebanon,” said Middle East observer from the University of Indonesia, Muhammad Syaroni Rofii, when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Monday.
According to him, partnering with France would strengthen Indonesia’s influence and lobbying at the multilateral level. To help ensure the safety of UNIFIL personnel, he said, Indonesia needs to follow up on the Security Council meeting outcomes after the deaths of several TNI personnel while on duty in Lebanon.
“In addition, Indonesia needs to request security guarantees from countries with influence in the conflict zone, such as the United States’ influence over Israel in the Lebanon conflict,” he said.
Syaroni also emphasised the need to strengthen UNIFIL’s mandate to address more complex threats.
“UNIFIL’s mandate needs to be strengthened because their mandate actually expired last year, but due to the conflict in the Middle East, the deployment has been extended,” he said.
He added that UNIFIL’s mandate must be accompanied by clauses imposing sanctions on countries that violate Security Council resolutions.
“So far, countries that violate have never been punished for attacking UNIFIL personnel and breaching Security Council resolutions,” he said.
On 29 and 30 March 2026, three TNI soldiers attached to UNIFIL were killed in southern Lebanon. They were Major Inf (Anm) Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Serka (Anm) Muhammad Nur Ikhwan, and Kopda (Anm) Farizal Rhomadhon.
On Saturday (18/4), French President Emmanuel Macron stated that one French soldier was killed and three others injured in an attack in southern Lebanon targeting UNIFIL.