Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced the establishment of a buffer zone extending to the Litani River, an area 30 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border.

As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, peacekeepers in southern Lebanon are at risk. Two Indonesian soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded in their peacekeeping vehicle on Monday. At least two other soldiers were injured.

One of them is in critical condition, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement.

Earlier, an Indonesian soldier was killed when a projectile hit his vehicle in the town of Al Qusayr on Sunday. UNIFIL said it was investigating both incidents. Indonesia has sent the largest number of peacekeepers to Lebanon.

‘We demand that the safety of peacekeepers be prioritized,’ the Indonesian Defense Ministry said in a statement. ‘We expect all parties involved in the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the safety of peacekeepers.’

The deaths of the peacekeepers came shortly after the Israeli military announced a ground and air strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon. UNIFIL soldiers have been active in the areas around Lebanon’s southern border to establish peace.

The bilateral conflict in the area has been at its peak since Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2. Israeli forces have been continuously advancing into Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced the establishment of a buffer zone extending to the Litani River. The area is 30 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon border.

The peacekeepers here have been working to establish peace and provide rescue and humanitarian supplies to people affected by the war. They are active in the destruction of explosives, removal of obstacles, distribution of food, blood donation and rescue work.

What is the condition of the Nepali soldiers?

According to the latest figures, 7,505 peacekeepers from 47 countries are active in Lebanon. Nepal is one of the countries that sends the most soldiers. There are 540 Nepali soldiers and 13 staff officers working in Lebanon.

Nepali Army Spokesperson Rajaram Basnet said that the Nepali peacekeepers are working safely. On February 29, an explosion occurred at the headquarters of the Nepali peacekeepers in the city of Mais-al-Jawwal. ‘At that time, a house in the battalion headquarters was damaged. Some of the personal belongings of the Nepali soldiers were also destroyed.’ But since all the soldiers were in the bunker, there was no human loss,' Basnet said, 'In the current situation, instructions have also been given by the UNIFIL headquarters and the Nepali Army headquarters to carry out operational activities while adhering to the necessary security protocols.' Nepali soldiers have been active in Lebanon since 1978. The United Nations is currently operating peacekeeping missions in 11 conflict-affected countries around the world.

Nepal was the first to send soldiers to peacekeeping missions for a long time, and is now ranked second in the world with the presence of 4,497 soldiers. Rwanda, which is in first place, has deployed 4,848 peacekeepers.

The story of the establishment of UNIFIL

After Israel won the First Arab War in 1948 and the Second Arab War in 1967, a large number of people were displaced from Palestine. Of these, the Lebanese government gave refuge to about 100,000 people in 1948.

Most of them entered the capital Beirut, southern Lebanon (Sidon and Tyre) and the northern cities of Tripoli and Baca.  The militant Christians were not ready to welcome the Muslims. This led to ethnic and religious conflicts. But the state administration itself was weak and could not resist sufficiently. 

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was founded in Jordan to protect Palestinian refugees, was banned in 1971 on charges of inciting violence.  The PLO then began to use southern Lebanon and the Baca Valley as a base.  The PLO was organizing leftist organizations in the refugee camps here. 

On April 13, 1975, Maronite Christian militias attacked a bus carrying Palestinians in Ain el Rummaneh.

The attack killed about 27 people. That same morning, four Christians were killed when gunfire erupted outside a church in the Ain Rummaneh area after a prayer meeting. The Christian militias responded by attacking them. This incident served as a trigger for the civil war in Lebanon.

The militant Christian groups were supported by Syria, the South Lebanon Army, and Israel in the war. On the other hand, the leftist Palestinians were supported by the PLO and Arab countries. As the conflict escalated, tens of thousands lost their lives. Millions of people became refugees in the south. Israel moved troops up to the Litani River.

In order to resolve this, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolutions 425 and 426 in March 1978. Which opened the door to deploying peacekeepers in Lebanon. Its goal was to expel Israel from southern Lebanon, disarm all armed groups except the government army, and maintain peace and order.

It did not have the right to use weapons to achieve its mandate of maintaining peace. The weapons carried by this force were to be used only for self-defense and the protection of civilians. Israel launched a major military operation in Lebanon on June 6, 1982. Within about a week, it had surrounded Beirut.

In response, Hezbollah was formed under the leadership of hardline Shiite clerics. Iran soon began providing weapons and training to this group. As the conflict intensified, an estimated 150,000 people lost their lives by 1990. Beirut, the Baca Valley, and other cities suffered heavy damage. In 1996, Israel attacked civilians who were sheltering in the Fijian battalion of peacekeepers in Qana, which was devastated by the war. More than 100 civilians were killed in the attack. 37 of them were children. 4 peacekeepers were also killed.

As the conflict escalated, Israel withdrew its troops from the occupied territories in Lebanon. But the hatred with Hezbollah did not end. Eventually, under the mediation of the United Nations, both sides signed a ceasefire agreement. UNIFIL was further strengthened with the goal of enforcing the ceasefire.

The number of peacekeepers was increased from 2,000 to 15,000. 46 countries around the world sent peacekeepers.

A large number of people were killed in the fierce war that lasted for 34 days in July 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah. During this period, Israel also attacked the barracks of peacekeepers 30 times. Among them, four unarmed UN observers were killed in an attack on the Al Khayyam base.

The new UN Security Council Resolution 1701 mentioned the old issue of disarming all armed groups in Lebanon. A 120-kilometer-long 'Blue Line' (peace zone) was created on Lebanon's southern border from Naqora to Sheba Farms.

Only Lebanese soldiers and peacekeepers were allowed to live in this area. However, Hezbollah and Israel repeatedly violated these agreements.

In December 2022, Irish peacekeeper Private Sean Ronnie was shot and killed. The vehicle he was riding in was also set on fire. A Lebanese court sentenced a Hezbollah member to prison in 2025 for this.

In 2023, peacekeepers were again targeted in the war between Hezbollah and Israel. This time, Israel accused the peacekeepers of working for Hezbollah. In 2025, a peacekeepers' barracks were also attacked during the war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The peacekeepers' relationship with the locals has sometimes been tense. Some Shiite organizations, especially those from NATO countries, accuse them of spying for Israel.

The work done by soldiers from countries such as Nepal, Indonesia, and India has been praised. For countries with a non-aligned foreign policy, such peacekeeping missions are also an opportunity to demonstrate their diplomatic capabilities.

Since 2006, UN soldiers have also been carrying out rescue and humanitarian aid. This includes food, medicine, and educational materials. Those who have received aid have praised the peacekeepers. They have also created a comfortable environment for patrolling.

Despite efforts to establish peace for the past 48 years, the expected goals of sending peacekeepers to Lebanon have not been achieved. Neither Hezbollah has given up its weapons, nor has Israel stopped its attacks. On the contrary, Hezbollah, which has repeatedly announced that it will disarm, is developing into a powerful group.

This group has advanced weapons, including rockets, missiles, and drones. Efforts to establish peace in Lebanon have not been successful due to the commitment of international powers on one side and the work on the other. The situation has worsened when Israel began occupying land in Lebanon after the war between the US, Israel, and Iran began.

Journalists, health workers and rescue workers have been among the victims of the Israeli attack. So far, more than 1,200 people have lost their lives in the Israeli attack.

More than 1.2 million have been displaced. Israel is also targeting road bridges, hospitals, public infrastructure and private housing. The destruction of roads and bridges makes it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid from northern Lebanon to the south.

On 28 August 2025, the United Nations extended the mandate of UNIFIL for the last time through Resolution 2790. Accordingly, the mandate of UNIFIL has been extended until 31 December 2026.