• An Indonesian peacekeeper was killed by a projectile in southern Lebanon.
• Another peacekeeper from the same contingent was critically injured.
• The incident occurred near the village of Adchit al-Qusayr, amid escalated hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
• UN Secretary-General condemned the attacks on peacekeepers, citing severe violations of international law.
• UNIFIL is investigating the origin of the projectile that struck their position.

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that on March 29, a peacekeeper was killed and another critically injured when a projectile hit their position near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr. According to Indonesian officials, the deceased peacekeeper was one of their citizens, with three others injured from indirect artillery fire in the area. UNIFIL has stated that the source of the projectile remains unknown and has initiated an investigation into the incident, stressing that "no one should ever lose their life serving the cause of peace," according to Le Monde, South China Morning Post, and Channel News Asia.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing, describing it as part of a growing trend of incidents threatening the safety of peacekeepers. He emphasized the need for all parties to respect international law and ensure the safety of UN personnel. UNIFIL has faced intermittent violence, particularly along the Israel-Lebanon border, where Iranian-backed Hezbollah has engaged in conflicts with Israeli forces. Guterres stated that such attacks on peacekeepers may constitute grave violations of humanitarian law, according to Anadolu Agency and Reuters.

The context of this incident is rooted in the ongoing conflict that reignited in early March when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel, a reaction to prior attacks by Israel and the U.S. that resulted in significant casualties. Since these hostilities began, UNIFIL has reported multiple attacks on its positions, aiming to monitor the ceasefire and demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon, underlining the precarious stability in the area, according to Le Monde, South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, Anadolu Agency, and Reuters.