October 28, 2024
JAKARTA – The Foreign Ministry has condemned Israeli airstrikes on Iran over the weekend that killed at least four soldiers and have stoked fears of a full-scale war in the Middle East, calling on all parties to the conflict to refrain from escalating it further.
“Indonesia strongly condemns Israel’s military strikes against Iran. Such escalation and expansion of conflicts are clear violations of international laws and demonstrate Israel’s utter disregard for it,” the Foreign Ministry said on X on Saturday.
“All parties must exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that could escalate tensions and lead to further instability in the region,” the ministry said.
Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn on Saturday against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, Israel’s military said as reported by Reuters.
The strikes were in retaliation for Iran’s Oct. 1 attack on Israel, in which Iran fired some 200 missiles in only the second ever direct attack against its arch-foe. Most of those missiles were intercepted but one person was killed, according to AFP.
Tensions have been heightened in the Middle East since the Gaza war started in October of last year, and the United Nations Security Council has struggled to act.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry said Israel’s “illegal occupation of Palestinian territory remains the root cause of conflicts in the Middle East” and that the two-state solution was “the only way to bring peace to the region”.
“Therefore, Indonesia urges the UNSC to [exercise] its responsibility under the UN Charter to stop all hostilities committed by Israel as soon as possible, including acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and attacks against the UNIFIL [UN Interim Force in Lebanon],” the ministry said.
Tel Aviv’s attack on the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon earlier this month injured 15 peacekeepers, including two Indonesian troops.
Fears of wider escalation
Israel warned Iran would “pay a heavy price” if it responded to the airstrikes, and the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom demanded that Tehran not escalate the conflict further, AFP reported.
Iran on Saturday confirmed Israeli strikes on military bases around Tehran and in other provinces of Khuzestan and Ilam, saying the raids caused “limited damage” but killed four soldiers.
Iran warned that it would defend itself, but its armed forces general staff held back from any threat of immediate retaliation.
“While reserving its legal and legitimate right to respond at the appropriate moment, Iran is prioritizing the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon,” the general staff said.
Other countries, including many of Iran’s neighbors, condemned Israel’s strikes and some, such as Russia, urged both sides to show restraint and avoid what Moscow dubbed a “catastrophic scenario”.
The European Union called for all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid an “uncontrollable escalation”, while UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed” by the deadly air strikes and urged an end to the wider conflict in the Middle East.
Indonesians safe
None of the 392 Indonesians living in Iran were affected by the Israeli airstrikes, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Saturday.
“The Indonesian embassy in Tehran has communicated with our citizens [in Iran] about their conditions. They all are safe,” the ministry said, adding that Indonesian missions in the Middle East were continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Jakarta also urged Indonesian citizens in Iran, Israel and Lebanon to remain vigilant, steer clear of unsafe regions and closely follow information and any contingency plans issued by Indonesia’s diplomatic missions in respective countries.
Indonesia is advising against travel to the three Middle East countries as well as Palestinian territories and Yemen until tensions deescalate.