May 19, 2026
JAKARTA – Indonesia’s plan to redeploy hundreds of peacekeeping troops to Lebanon has sparked growing concern over troop safety following a series of deadly incidents involving Indonesian personnel serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that 744 Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel are scheduled to depart for the conflict-hit region on May 22 as part of the regular rotation of Indonesian peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon.
The rotation comes shortly after four Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in separate explosions in southern Lebanon on March 29 and 30, while several others were injured in subsequent incidents near UN facilities amid hostilities between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang described the deaths as deeply regrettable but stressed that Indonesia remained committed to the UN’s peacekeeping mandate.
“The deployment of TNI personnel to UNIFIL reflects Indonesia’s commitment to maintaining world peace,” Yvonne told The Jakarta Post on Monday. “Our commitment to peace and to fulfilling our constitutional mandate must continue.”
However, security concerns continued to surround the deployment plan, with international relations expert Andrea Abdul Rahman of Budi Luhur University questioning whether sufficient protections and contingency measures are in place for the military personnel following the fatal incidents.
“There must be real-time monitoring, troop repositioning and full transparency from the UN,” Andrea said on Monday. “If protection cannot be guaranteed for our troops, early withdrawal must remain an option because lives are more valuable.”
Indonesia is among the largest troop contributors to the UNIFIL mission, alongside Italy with 748 personnel, Spain with 648 troops and France with 600, as part of a force of 7,478 peacekeepers from 47 contributing countries, according to the latest data.
UNIFIL was initially created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion, and its mandate has been renewed annually since then. The mission was expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah with proponents saying it remains important to maintain a demilitarized buffer between the two sides.
In August last year, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to end the mission by December 2026, followed by a phased year-long withdrawal of its personnel.
Andrea further argued that Indonesian authorities, including the TNI, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry, had yet to clearly explain evacuation mechanisms and operational adjustments to anticipate the situation deteriorating further.
TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Aulia Dwi Nasrullah did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comments.
While acknowledging Indonesia’s long-standing commitment to UN peacekeeping missions, defense expert Aditya Batara echoed similar concerns, noting that the deployment is “highly risky”.
He also called for a thorough investigation into the death of the four soldiers to continue.
“Our country’s deployment of military personnel must go hand in hand with pushing for an independent investigation into the deaths of the four TNI soldiers and possible legal follow-up, including through international mechanisms if necessary,” Aditya told the Post.
The UN’s preliminary investigation in April found that one incident involving Indonesian peacekeepers was caused by a shell fired from an IDF Merkava tank, which struck a UNIFIL position and killed two of four Indonesian troops.
It also indicated that the other two deaths were caused by an improvised explosive device most likely placed by Hezbollah, Reuters reported.
The investigation remains ongoing, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres saying the attacks were “grave violations of international humanitarian law” and could amount to war crimes.
Yvonne of the Foreign Ministry emphasized that the safety and security of Indonesian peacekeepers remained “nonnegotiable”, adding that Indonesia is continuing to push the UN for a thorough and transparent investigation into the deadly incidents.