India condemns attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon; seeks accountability

India condemned the attack on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon, which killed a Blue Helmet Serb and injured two others, and called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Serb peacekeeper Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was killed on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, when a mortar hit the UN position near Marji in the Eastern Zone of the mission’s area of ​​operations.

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“Two peacekeepers from Spain and El Salvador were also injured and are receiving treatment at the UNIFIL medical facility in southern Lebanon,” the UN said.

“We extend our sincere condolences to Serbia and the family of the Serbian Blue Helmet of UNIFIL who was killed in this deplorable attack,” Harish Parvathaneni, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said in a social media post on Thursday, June 4, 2026. he said.

Blue Helmets refer to military personnel, police officers and civilian experts who serve under the operational command of United Nations peacekeeping forces.

The envoy also wished a speedy recovery to the injured peacekeepers and stressed that the international community “must come together to ensure the safety and security of UN peacekeepers” operating under the mandate of the UN Security Council.

In a statement, India’s Permanent Mission to the UN condemned the attack, paid tribute to the martyred peacekeeper and wished a speedy recovery to the injured personnel.

It called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the attack to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure full accountability.

“India reiterates the fundamental importance of respecting the sanctity and inviolability of UN facilities and personnel. We call on all parties to ensure the safety and security of UN peacekeepers operating under UN Security Council mandates,” the statement said.

India also called for full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2589 on Responsibility for Crimes Committed against Peacekeepers, adopted in August 2021 during the country’s Presidency of the Council.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack and underlined that all attacks against peacekeepers should be investigated immediately and those responsible should be effectively tried and held accountable.

In the statement made by the Secretary-General’s Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, it was stated that seven UNIFIL peacekeepers have been killed and many soldiers have been injured since the conflict escalated in March this year.

“Attacks against peacekeepers must stop,” Mr. Guterres said, adding that they were gross violations of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolutions and “may constitute war crimes.”

In March, India condemned attacks on UN peacekeepers serving in Lebanon and joined nearly 30 troop-contributing countries to UNIFIL in expressing deep alarm at the escalation of hostilities in the West Asian country and condemning Hezbollah’s “reckless decision” to join Iran’s attacks on Israel.