JAKARTA: The Indonesian military has dispatched 744 soldiers to serve in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, its chief said on Friday as Israel continues its near-daily attacks on the Middle Eastern country, despite a ceasefire.
Indonesia has contributed troops to UNIFIL since 2006, after the operation’s mandate was expanded by the UN Security Council following the Second Lebanon War to help the Lebanese army keep control over the south of the country, which borders Israel.
The new batch of Indonesian soldiers will replace the current group serving in the country’s Garuda Contingent, which consists of 748 personnel and whose terms expire soon.
“I have sent off 744 personnel of the UNIFIL Garuda Contingent to Lebanon … as a form of respect to the soldiers who will carry out the noble mission as peacekeepers of the world,” Indonesian Armed Forces’ Chief Gen. Agus Subiyanto said in a post on Instagram on Friday.
As of May 1, 2026, UNIFIL consists of some 7,400 peacekeepers from 47 troop-contributing countries, with Indonesia topping the list, followed by Italy and Spain.
Friday’s deployment comes less than two months after four Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in Israel’s war in Lebanon. Two French peacekeepers were also among the fatalities in recent months.
The peacekeeping forces have been attacked multiple times by Israeli troops since Israel’s 2024 invasion of southern Lebanon. In October of that year, two Indonesian soldiers were among those wounded when Israeli tanks entered the village of Naqoura, home to UNIFIL’s headquarters, and fired on peacekeepers.
Despite a renewed ceasefire agreement reached last week, Israeli airstrikes have continued in southern Lebanon. Israel’s latest fighting with armed groups in the region began on March 2. The death toll has surpassed 3,000 with more than 1 million people displaced.
“Increase awareness of developing situations, and maintain morale and health during the mission,” Subiyanto told Indonesian soldiers in a pre-departure briefing.
Indonesia will “consider early troop withdrawal” if the force’s mandate is no longer able to provide protection for its personnel, Honi Hovana, spokesperson for the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, said earlier this month.
The latest batch of Indonesian peacekeepers includes 571 army personnel, 79 navy personnel, and 63 members of the air force.
UNIFIL peacekeepers have been deployed in Lebanon’s south since 1978. They will see their mandate concluding at the end of 2026, after which personnel are expected to gradually withdraw.
Indonesia is among the main troop-contributing countries in UN’s global peacekeeping operations, with around 1,900 troops and police serving across seven missions.
