Three Indonesian peacekeepers from the United Nations were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after Lebanese journalists and medics were killed in Israeli strikes.
Two peacekeepers were killed on Monday after an explosion from an unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon, the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL said in a statement. Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast.
Another Indonesian soldier was killed overnight Sunday into Monday when a projectile exploded near one of the group's positions close to the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr. Another peacekeeper was critically injured at the time.
The death on Sunday was the first among the U.N.'s peacekeeping force in the new war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah which erupted on March 2.
"These are two separate incidents and we are investigating them as two separate incidents," said UNIFIL's spokesperson, Kandice Ardiel.
In response to the first death, Indonesia's foreign ministry said on Monday the deceased peacekeeper was one of its citizens and that three others were injured by "indirect artillery fire."
Indonesia condemned the incident and said any harm to peacekeepers is unacceptable, while reiterating its condemnation "of Israel's attacks in southern Lebanon."
The country's Foreign Minister Sugiono called on Tuesday in a post on social media website X for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting and "for a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation" into the "heinous attack" after speaking with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Guterres said attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.
"We strongly condemn these unacceptable incidents—peacekeepers must never be a target," the U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters in a briefing on Monday.
Lebanon was pulled into the war in the Middle East when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in solidarity with Tehran, two days after Iran was attacked by Israel and the United States. Hezbollah's attack prompted a new Israeli ground and air offensive.
More than 1,240 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities. They include more than 120 children, nearly 80 women, dozens of paramedics and journalists.
More than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since March 2, according to two sources familiar with Hezbollah's count.
Lebanon's presidency has said that targeted journalists are "civilians performing a professional duty."
Israel has said it intends to control a buffer zone up to the Litani River, which runs about 30 km (20 miles) north of the Lebanese border with Israel, reports Reuters.
Its ground troops have been pushing into Lebanese border towns and demolishing homes in the area, while Lebanon's army has not been fighting Israeli forces.
