Preliminary findings in a United Nations probe into the deaths of three Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon last month show one was killed by an Israeli tank projectile and two others by an improvised explosive device most likely placed by Hezbollah, the UN said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
"These are preliminary findings, based on initial physical evidence," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing, adding that a full investigation process was continuing that included engagement with the parties concerned.
Dujarric called the incidents "unacceptable" and said they could amount to war crimes under international law. He said the United Nations had requested that the cases be investigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon on March 29 and 30.
The two were working in Lebanon as part of UNIFIL, which is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel, an area that is at the heart of clashes between Israeli troops and the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
UNIFIL was established in 1978 to serve as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon and continued operations after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
The mission, which will be halted at the end of 2026, has been sporadically caught in the crosshairs of both Israel and Hezbollah over the last several years.
In October of 2024, the IDF revealed that approximately 25 rockets and missiles had been launched at Israeli communities and IDF troops from Hezbollah’s terrorist compounds embedded near UNIFIL posts in southern Lebanon, exploiting their proximity to UN forces. One of the attacks resulted in the deaths of two IDF soldiers.
As a result of these attacks, the IDF conducted strikes near UNIFIL posts, making sure to warn the peacekeepers beforehand and requesting that they vacate the posts. Nevertheless, UNIFIL accused Israel of deliberately targeting its peacekeepers.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of the Seventh Day of Passover in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)