Kapuspen: TNI Soldiers In Lebanon Ready To Help Evacuate Indonesian Citizens To Indonesia

Photo Archives - Screenshots of Indonesian Navy soldiers who are members of the TNI MTF Task Force Garuda XXVIII-O UNIFIL for air medical evacuation training at Beirut Harbor, Lebanon, Friday (19/4/2024)/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Head of the TNI Information Center Major General TNI Hariyanto said TNI soldiers who are currently serving with the UN Peace Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are ready to help evacuate Indonesian citizens in Lebanon back to their homeland.

Hariyanto explained that the TNI had prepared contingency plans for emergency situations, including for evacuation.

However, the plan needs to get permission first from the leadership of UNIFIL, namely the UNIFIL Force Commander, which since 2022 has been held by Lieutenant General Aroldo Az Marijuro of the Spanish Armed Forces.

"For the evacuation of refugees near the Israeli border, it must be permitted by the UNIFIL Force Commander, while the withdrawal of TNI personnel is currently awaiting the UNIFIL Force Commander's decision," Kapuspen said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, September 26.

Representatives from the TNI Headquarters and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a technical meeting to discuss the current situation in Lebanon and the plan to evacuate Indonesian citizens.

Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Judha Nugraha conveyed that the plan for TNI troops currently serving with UNIFILakan was enlivened to help evacuate when the escalation of the conflict between Lebanon and the Israeli military (IDF) got worse.

Judha said that currently there are 155 Indonesian citizens living in Lebanon. The majority of them are students and those who are married to Lebanese citizens.

The Israeli military (IDF) has attacked Lebanese territory since the start of this week on the pretext of targeting the Hezbollah group. As a result of the attack, authorities in Lebanon said nearly 570 people were killed, more than 1,800 civilians were injured, and tens of thousands of residents were displaced.

However, tensions between Israel and Lebanon have occurred since Israel attacked Palestinians after the 7 October 2023 incident. The tension extends to the Israel-Lebanon border, including the Blue Line (demarcation line separating Israeli and Lebanese territory).

The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut has set Alert 1 status for Indonesian citizens throughout Lebanese territory. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also issued a recommendation (travel advisory) asking Indonesian citizens to postpone their trip to Lebanon and Israel.

Since the stipulation of Alert 1 in August 2024, the Indonesian Embassy has facilitated the return of 25 Indonesian citizens from Lebanon to Indonesia.

Apart from the 155 Indonesian citizens, there are also TNI soldiers who are members of UNIFIL in Lebanon.

There are more than 1,000 soldiers on duty in various UNIFIL units, including the Maritime Task Force (MTF), the TNI Mechanical Battalion Task Force (INDOBATT), the Headquarters Support Task Force/Force Headquarter Support Unit (FHQSU), the Indo Force Protection Company (FPC) Task Force, the Civil-Military Coordination Task Force/Cevilian Military Coordination (CIMIC) TNI, the Military Community Outreach Unit (MCOU) Task Force, and the Level 2 Hospital Task Force.

Most of the TNI soldiers who are members of UNIFIL operate on land, while the MTF Task Force carries out its duties at sea.

Regarding the escalation between Israel and Lebanon, the TNI MTF Task Force for the Garuda XXVIII-O/UNIFIL contingent on Tuesday (10/9) held exercises for emergency situations, which included evacuation simulations using sea routes.

Some of the training materials that were attended by the KRI Diponegoro-365 comedians in Lebanon also included base defense, underwater anti-sabotage, embarcation/debaration, and force protection.