UNIFIL Mission Zone No Longer Safe, TNI Increases Alert Status

The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) headquarters has confirmed that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is still pursuing facts behind the artillery attack that struck the Indonesian contingent in southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of one TNI soldier.

The Head of the Information Centre (Kapuspen) of TNI Headquarters, Major General TNI Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, emphasised that the current investigation is focused on uncovering the perpetrators of the attack as well as the motives behind the deadly incident.

“The investigation process is still being conducted by UNIFIL,” said Aulia, quoted from Antara on Monday (30/3).

According to Aulia, the attack cannot be separated from the worsening escalation of conflict in the Lebanese region, particularly in the south. The continuously increasing tensions are said to have triggered a series of attacks, including those targeting the assignment area of Indonesian soldiers in the city of Adshit al-Qusyar on Sunday (29/3).

The attack proved fatal. One TNI soldier, Private First Class Farizal Rhomadhon, was declared fallen. Meanwhile, three other soldiers became victims of injuries with varying degrees of severity.

Private First Class Rico Pramudia suffered serious injuries, while Private First Class Bayu Prakoso and Private First Class Arif Kurniawan sustained minor injuries. All three are now undergoing intensive medical treatment.

The TNI has also ensured that the process of repatriating the body of Private First Class Farizal to Indonesia is underway. At the same time, the main attention is focused on the recovery of the surviving soldiers and the strengthening of security measures in the field.

This incident serves as a stark warning that the situation in the Lebanon peacekeeping mission area is becoming increasingly volatile. TNI headquarters has emphasised that it will increase vigilance for all personnel on duty to minimise the risk of follow-up attacks.

Amid the grief over the death of an Indonesian soldier, the results of the UNIFIL investigation are now in the spotlight, particularly to answer which party is responsible for the attack on the peacekeeping forces.