India on Thursday strongly condemned the recent deadly attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, calling for strict accountability and reiterating that the safety and inviolability of UN missions must be upheld under international law.Responding to queries, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had already issued a statement denouncing the incidents involving the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where three peacekeepers were killed and injured in successive attacks.“We have around 600 Indian troops serving in UNIFIL. Our peacekeeping operations go back several decades, and India remains one of the largest troop-contributing countries to UN missions. The contribution of our peacekeepers has been widely recognised in maintaining global peace and security,” Jaiswal said.He added that India “strongly condemns the recent attacks” and paid homage to the “brave blue helmet soldiers” who lost their lives in the line of duty.The remarks come in the backdrop of a sharp escalation along the Israel-Lebanon frontier, where the UN has confirmed multiple fatal incidents involving its personnel.According to UNIFIL, two peacekeepers were killed and others injured on March 30 when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle near Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon. The incident followed another deadly blast a day earlier, marking the second fatal attack within 24 hours.The UN has termed the attacks “unacceptable”, with spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stating that investigations were underway and stressing the need for full accountability.Indonesia also condemned the incident, calling any harm to peacekeepers unacceptable, while reiterating its criticism of Israeli actions in southern Lebanon. The Israel Defence Forces said it was aware of the reports and that the incidents were under review to determine whether they resulted from the actions of Hezbollah or its own operations.India, aligning its position with established UN norms, invoked United Nations Security Council Resolution 2589, which underscores the responsibility of states to ensure accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. “As one of the largest and longest-serving contributors to UN peacekeeping, we seek accountability for crimes against peacekeepers,” Jaiswal said.At the UN Security Council, Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix described the developments as “abhorrent”, noting that three peacekeepers had been killed within a span of 24 hours. Initial findings indicate that one of the incidents involved a roadside explosion targeting a UNIFIL convoy, while another was caused by a projectile strike on a UN base.