India on Wednesday (March 11, joined nearly 30 troop-contributing countries to the UNIFIL to express deep alarm at the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and strongly condemn Hezbollah’s “reckless decision” to join the Iranian attacks against Israel this month.
India is among the 50 countries that contribute troops to the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“Today I joined our partners to showcase our support to the brave women and men deployed as peacekeepers in #UNIFIL as they face growing threats and challenges,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said in a post on X.
Indian peacekeepers with a long standing commitment to the UNIFIL continue to execute their mandate and provide help to locals even during these challenging times, he said.
“We are unequivocally against any attacks on @UN Peacekeepers for which there can be no justification,” Harish said, adding that the UN Security Council resolution 2589 testifies to India’s commitment towards safety and security of peacekeepers.
UNSC resolution 2589, adopted in August 2021 under India’s Presidency of the 15-nation Council, called on Member States hosting or having hosted United Nations peacekeeping operations, to take all appropriate measures to bring to justice perpetrators of the killing of United Nations personnel and to promote accountability for violence against UN personnel serving in peacekeeping operations.
Mr. Harish joined the Permanent Representatives of nearly 30 UN Member States at the Security Council stakeout as they expressed deep alarm at the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon.
Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont read a joint statement regarding the current escalation in Lebanon on behalf of countries including Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Nepal, Panama, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom and Uruguay.
“We, troop-contributing countries to the UN peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), joined by several other member states, express our deep alarm at the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon.
“We call on parties to urgently return to the cessation of hostilities arrangement,” the joint statement said.
It said that faced with war, Lebanon must be supported. “Its sovereignty and territorial integrity must be preserved. We express our full solidarity with Lebanon and the Lebanese people.” The joint statement condemned in the strongest terms Hezbollah’s “reckless decision” to join the Iranian attacks against Israel since March 2, 2026, dragging Lebanon in a war neither its authorities nor its population wanted.
“We urge Hezbollah to immediately cease its fire toward Israel, and to give up its weapons. We support the effort of the Government of Lebanon toward the swift implementation of Resolution 1701,” which calls for ending hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
The countries, through the joint statement, urged Israel to abstain from attacks against civilian infrastructure and heavily populated areas and to respect the Lebanese sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
“All parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it said.
The joint statement commended the Lebanese government’s recent decisions to dismantle Hezbollah’s security and military activities in Lebanon.
“We stand ready to increase our support to the Lebanese State’s sovereignty and its armed forces to ensure control of the territory and stabilise the country,” the joint statement said.
Nearly a million Lebanese civilians have fled their homes following Israeli evacuation orders to escape hostilities. “We commit to support the Lebanese government’s response to the needs of the displaced population and their host communities, and with the support of humanitarian actors in Lebanon, including UN agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, international and local NGOs,” the statement said.
The joint statement also condemned in the strongest terms the attack that affected the Ghanaian contingent of UNIFIL in its base in southwestern Lebanon last week, saying those responsible for the attack must be held accountable.
“We urge all parties, under all circumstances, to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises, in accordance with international law. Peacekeepers must never be the target of attacks or intimidation of any kind,” it said.
As of February 2026, UNIFIL’s force consists of 7,538 peacekeepers from 48 troop-contributing countries, including 642 personnel from India, the fourth highest after Italy (784), Indonesia (756) and Spain (660).
Published – March 12, 2026 06:34 am IST
