Balikpapan, E Kalimantan (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) called on the global community and the United Nations (UN) to act promptly and appropriately to the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon that resulted in hundreds of casualties.
"We ask nations of the world and the UN to respond promptly to prevent more victims of the Israeli attack," the president stated here on Thursday.
Jokowi affirmed that Indonesia condemned Israel's action in Lebanon while adding that escalation in the Middle East has been a matter of concern not only for Indonesia but also for the global community.
The president confirmed that the government will again launch an operation to repatriate Indonesians in Lebanon. The Indonesian Embassy in Beirut recorded that 159 Indonesians, primarily students or those married to locals, still live in Lebanon.
"I have called the Foreign Minister (Retno Marsudi) to repatriate our nationals in the conflict zone, and the process is ongoing," he remarked.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi earlier stated that Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon this week potentially worsened the high tension in the region and caused a humanitarian crisis.
"We strongly condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which has caused hundreds of civilian casualties, including children," the minister stated on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (September 24).
"Violence and aggression should not be a 'new normal,'" she emphasized.
Marsudi urged the UN Security Council and the international community to take concrete measures to ensure de-escalation and an end to fighting in the region.
According to the Lebanese Public Health Ministry, waves of Israeli airstrikes on the country since Monday have caused the deaths of 610 residents and injuries to more than two thousand people.
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Translator: Nyaman B/Solih J, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
