Two seriously injured in explosion at UN facility near El Adeisse, just days after three fellow Indonesians were killed in separate attacks.
JAKARTA / BEIRUT – Three Indonesian United Nations peacekeepers were wounded in an explosion inside a UN facility in southern Lebanon on Friday, UN officials confirmed, marking the latest casualties among international forces amid the widening Middle East conflict.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the blast occurred near El Adeisse on Friday afternoon, injuring three peacekeepers who were rushed to a hospital. Two of them sustained serious wounds.
The UN Information Center (UNIC) in Jakarta identified the wounded peacekeepers as Indonesian, though the “origin of the explosion” remains unknown.
A deadly week for Indonesian forces
Friday’s incident comes just days after an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since Lebanon was drawn into the wider war on March 2.
A UN security source told AFP on condition of anonymity that fire from an Israeli tank was responsible for that death.
A day later, two more Indonesian peacekeepers died after an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy, also in southern Lebanon.
The bodies of the three fallen peacekeepers are scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Saturday evening, according to Indonesian military officials.
UN reminds parties of obligations
UNIFIL reminded Israel, Hezbollah, and all other actors of their obligation to ensure the safety of peacekeepers, including by avoiding combat near UN facilities and positions.
“This has been a difficult week for peacekeepers working near the central part of UNIFIL’s area of operations,” the mission said in a statement.
The repeated attacks on UN personnel underscore the growing danger faced by international forces deployed along the volatile Israel-Lebanon border, as the regional conflict shows no signs of de-escalation.
