A U.N. probe revealed Tuesday that three peacekeepers who died in Lebanon in March were likely killed by Israeli tank fire in one incident and a Hezbollah improvised explosive device in another.
"We have requested with the relevant parties that the cases be investigated and prosecuted by national authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability for crimes against peacekeepers," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general, told reporters.
On March 29, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded by a projectile that exploded near a U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) position.
The next day, two other soldiers from the same force were killed by an explosion that destroyed their vehicle. A third was seriously wounded and a fourth more lightly.
In the first case, the investigation indicates "the projectile was a 120 mm tank main armament round, fired by an Israel Defense Forces Merkava tank from the east," Dujarric said.
He added that UNIFIL had communicated the location of all its positions and installations to the Israeli military twice in the days before the incident.
An IED caused the March 30 explosion, Dujarric said.
"The investigation has assessed that, given the location of the incident, the nature of the explosion, and the current context, the IED was most likely placed by Hezbollah," he said.
UNIFIL has served as a peacekeeping force between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, but now finds itself caught in the crossfire between the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it had received the preliminary findings from the U.N.
"The government of Indonesia has urged all relevant parties to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators and to ensure accountability for the crimes committed against peacekeeping personnel," ministry official Veronica Vicka Ancilla Rompis told reporters in Jakarta.
She said Israel's ongoing military operations in south Lebanon "will continue to endanger peacekeeping personnel."
"All actions that endanger peacekeeping personnel constitute a serious violation of international law and must not be allowed to continue," added Vicka.
Asked whether Indonesia was considering a halt to peacekeeper deployments in Lebanon, ministry spokeswoman Yvonne Mewengkang said: "Every decision we make related to this issue will go through very, very careful consideration."
