Again, UN Peacekeeping Forces Killed in Lebanon

Illustration of UNIFIL troops patrolling in Lebanon. (Source: UNIFIL)

JAKARTA - A peacekeeper under a United Nations mission was killed in Lebanon, according to a mission statement and Serbian authorities Thursday, after a base was hit in the south where Israel and Hezbollah are fighting.

"A UNIFIL peacekeeper died this morning from critical injuries suffered when a mortar shell hit his position," the statement from the force said, adding that two other Blue Helmets peacekeepers were wounded in the incident on Wednesday night.

The statement said an investigation had been launched and also urged "the relevant national authorities to investigate the incident."

Meanwhile, the Serbian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, "Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic was given emergency medical treatment at a hospital inside the base after being wounded and then transported by helicopter to the University Medical Center in Beirut, where he died."

The death brings the number of UNIFIL peacekeepers killed to seven, since the latest conflict in Lebanon erupted on March 2, 2026.

According to UNIFIL, around 170 Serbian peacekeepers are among 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries.

The peacekeepers are stationed in southern Lebanon near the Blue Line, a 120-kilometer (75-mile) de facto border between Lebanon and Israel, where they are in the middle of fighting.

"UNIFIL has detected an increase in the number of crossings and impacts in southern Lebanon," the statement said, adding that "violence must end."

In late March, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed and another later died of his wounds after a projectile hit their base, with the UN's initial investigation blaming Israeli tank shells.

Shortly after, two other Indonesian Blue Helmets were killed by improvised explosive devices, which according to a UN investigation were likely planted by Hezbollah.

In April, two French peacekeepers were killed in an ambush that French and U.N. authorities attributed to Hezbollah, which denied involvement.

On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peacekeepers would still be needed in Lebanon after the UNIFIL mission ends later this year - a proposal likely to face opposition from the United States and Israel.