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STORY: UN / LEBANON UNIFIL LACROIX PRESSER
TRT: 04:15
SOURCE: UN NEWS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 30 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN headquarters
30 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“This morning, two Indonesian peacekeepers lost their lives in an explosion that hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy, destroying their vehicle, near Bani Hayyan in Sector East. Two more peacekeepers were injured, one seriously. The origin of the explosion has not been determined. Yesterday, a peacekeeper of the Indonesian contingent was killed in an explosion inside a UNIFIL base in Ett Taibe also in Sector East. Another peacekeeper was critically wounded and was evacuated to a hospital in Beirut. I express my deepest condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers and the Government of Indonesia. I wish a full recovery to those injured. We strongly condemn these unacceptable incidents. Peacekeepers must never be a target. UNIFIL is investigating these incidents to determine the circumstances of these tragic developments. We also remain seriously concerned about several aggressive behaviors incidents against UNIFIL peacekeepers in the past couple of days. All acts that endanger the peacekeepers must stop. All actors must adhere to their obligations to ensure the safety and security of the peacekeepers at all times. The inviolability of United Nations installations must be respected. Our peacekeepers remain on the ground, carrying out Security Council-mandated tasks, in these extremely dangerous conditions. You can imagine that they are constrained at what they do but they continue to do whatever is possible for them to. The women and men of UNIFIL demonstrate utmost courage and commitment to advancing international peace and security far away from home. And of course we express my deepest appreciation to them. I reiterate the Secretary-General’s appeal to all sides to cease the fighting. Only the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) by both parties will enable a long-term solution to the conflict.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“We're based on resolution 1701, right? UNIFIL has this mandate, and resolution 1701 is also the political platform on which a durable solution to that situation is meant to be achieved. So based on resolution 1701 and international law, it's clear that we have many violations - violations in terms of the strikes from south to north, also from north to south. We obviously have the presence of the IDF in Lebanon, which constitutes a violation in itself. And all the attacks against peacekeepers are, similarly, violations. We have a multiplicity of violations of resolution 1701. Our appeal, as far as we're concerned, will of course be recalling to the parties their obligations vis-à-vis peacekeepers and UNIFIL. The broader appeal, which is the one that was again repeated by our Secretary-General, is that there cannot be a military solution. There has to be a political solution. The framework is there for a political solution - resolution 1701 - to which all the parties are still committed, to the best of what we hear from them.”
6. Wide shot, press briefing room
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations:
“Of course we're in touch with troop-contributing countries. We are in contact with Indonesia, and of course I convey to them our condolences and our solidarity. We're also informing them about what is being done for the deceased peacekeepers and the injured. So yes, absolutely. I should say that the liaison with the IDF is constant, which enables UNIFIL to deconflict a number of movements, for example, for the resupply of positions or for support to the civilian population in the area.”
8. Wide shot, press briefing room
“Our peacekeepers remain on the ground, carrying out Security Council-mandated tasks, in these extremely dangerous conditions,” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations said.
Briefing reporters in New York today (30 Mar) Lacroix said two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed earlier in the day when an explosion hit a UNIFIL logistics convoy near Bani Hayyan in Sector East, injuring two more. A day earlier, another Indonesian peacekeeper died in an explosion inside a UNIFIL base in Ett Taibe, also in Sector East, with a second critically wounded and evacuated to Beirut.
“We strongly condemn these unacceptable incidents. Peacekeepers must never be a target,” he said, adding that UNIFIL was investigating to determine the circumstances of the deaths. “All acts that endanger the peacekeepers must stop.”
On violations of resolution 1701, Lacroix said: “We have a multiplicity of violations of resolution 1701,” citing strikes in both directions across the Blue Line as well as the presence of Israeli forces in Lebanon. “There cannot be a military solution. There has to be a political solution. The framework is there for a political solution - resolution 1701 - to which all the parties are still committed, to the best of what we hear from them.”
Lacroix said the mission was in constant contact with Indonesia and that liaison with the IDF remained ongoing, “which enables UNIFIL to deconflict a number of movements, for example, for the resupply of positions or for support to the civilian population in the area.”
He reiterated the Secretary-General's appeal to all sides to cease the fighting, saying only the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 by both parties would “enable a long-term solution to the conflict.”
The USG also said, “The women and men of UNIFIL demonstrate utmost courage and commitment to advancing international peace and security far away from home.”
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