Türkiye has condemned the attacks against U.N. peacekeepers operating in Lebanon that killed three Indonesian troops, while accusing Israel of trying to spread the war through the region with these actions.
In a written statement on March 31, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks against the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the past days and offered condolences to the government and people of Indonesia.
“These attacks targeting the U.N. institutions and U.N. peace force constitute a grave violation of international law. The perpetrators of these attacks must be brought to justice,” read the statement.
The ministry did also urge that Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanon results in further spreading of the war and deepening of instability, the ministry stressed, calling on the international community to take action to end the Israeli expansionism, aggression and occupation.
An Indonesian soldier was killed on March 29 and two others on March 30 in Lebanon amid the ongoing Israeli occupation in Lebanon.
The EU also demanded an investigation into attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon.
"We call for a thorough investigation to shed light on these grave attacks. These attacks are a grave violation of international law, are totally unacceptable and must stop immediately," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict in early March when Israeli-U.S. strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and Tehran-backed Hezbollah responded by firing rockets at Israel.
Since then, Israel has struck targets across Lebanon and sent ground troops into its neighbor’s territory. Lebanese authorities say more than 1,200 people have been killed.
