Two TNI Soldiers Killed While Escorting UNIFIL Operational Activities
Head of the Defence Ministry’s Information Bureau, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, stated that two Indonesian National Army (TNI) soldiers fell during their assignment in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission on Monday, 30 March 2026. The two soldiers were struck in an attack due to the increasing intensity of fighting in southern Lebanon.
“The incident in southern Lebanon affected TNI Task Force personnel who were carrying out escort duties to support UNIFIL operational activities,” Rico said in a written statement on Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
According to Rico, the exact cause of the incident that led to the two TNI soldiers’ deaths is currently being investigated by UNIFIL. He said that two other TNI soldiers also sustained serious injuries. Both injured soldiers have been intensively treated at a medical facility in Beirut, Lebanon.
“Evacuation and medical handling measures have been carried out quickly in accordance with United Nations operational procedures,” said the one-star general.
The Ministry of Defence and TNI Headquarters have not yet officially released the identities of the soldiers who became victims in Lebanon. Head of TNI Information Centre, Major General Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, had not responded to messages when asked about the victims’ identities.
In the span of two days at the end of March, a total of three TNI soldiers serving as UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon due to attacks from Israel. Five other Indonesian military personnel also sustained minor and serious injuries.
Member of Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR), Tubagus Hasanuddin, urged the TNI to evaluate the security system and operational procedures for all Garuda Contingent soldiers in conflict areas following the deaths of military personnel. He stated that the evaluation must include a review of the positions of TNI contingent observation posts assigned to the UNIFIL mission.
The TNI, he said, also needs to enhance physical protection at bases. “As well as tightening standard operating procedures during armed contact in the duty area,” he said in his statement on Monday, 30 March 2026.
This PDI Perjuangan politician assessed that the safety of soldiers should be the government’s top priority. Therefore, he believes mitigation steps need to be reviewed again to minimise risks.
“Especially amid increasingly volatile security conditions, without reducing Indonesia’s commitment to carrying out the world’s peacekeeping mission,” said Tubagus.
In addition, he urged the Indonesian government to respond seriously to the attack incident that killed one military soldier. According to him, in addition to refining mitigation measures, the government must request a comprehensive, transparent, and independent investigation.
“The focus of the investigation must ensure whether the attack was an unintended impact of conflict escalation or a violation of international law,” he said.
He asked the Indonesian government to immediately submit an official demand to the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary-General’s Secretariat to thoroughly investigate the incident. The government, he said, also needs to convey a firm stance that the attack on UN personnel constitutes a war crime that must be followed up.