Defence Minister Judith Collins said the NZ Defence Force was “closely monitoring the safety and security of its deployed personnel” after an Israeli strike against Iran further escalated tensions in the region.
She said New Zealand has “about 65″ personnel deployed across the Middle East.
“The NZDF is closely monitoring the safety and security of its deployed personnel and continues to support New Zealand Government-mandated UN missions, including in the Middle East region. There are currently around 65 personnel deployed to various locations across the Middle East.”
She added that New Zealand was “gravely concerned by ongoing retaliatory actions by Israel and Iran”.
“Retaliation significantly increases the risk of a regional war, which would have catastrophic consequences in the Middle East.”
Collins earlier this year extended a mandate to deploy up to 8 personnel to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation until September 2026.
The deployment is New Zealand’s largest single contribution to United Nations peacekeeping and is also New Zealand’s longest-running, having begun in 1954. The mission has troops in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Syria including in the Golan Heights.
It is intended to act as a neutral arbiter in the highly-contested border regions between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
New Zealand also has a deployment of six personnel to a US-led mission designed to “uphold maritime security” currently threatened by Houthis operating out of Yemen who have threatened international shipping lanes.The location of these personnel has not been publicly disclosed.
Israel and Iran have been escalating action against one another all year, as Israel escalates its war against Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, both of which are backed by Iran.
Over the weekend Israeli air strikes attacked Iranian defences and missile production facilities, including sites near the capital Tehran. Two Iranian soldiers were killed in the strikes.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the country is considering its response. Iran and Israel have been enemies for decades, but have so far managed to avoid open confrontation.
Observers fear tit-for-tat retaliation could spiral into another round of escalation, although that does not appear to have occurred as yet.
The United Nations has voiced concern at Israeli strikes on peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Last week, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) peacekeepers observed an Israeli Defence Force tank firing at their watchtower.
New Zealand has no troops deployed to the Unifil deployment, although Defence Force documents from the previous government note that personnel deployed to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation deployment can “provide support to neighbouring missions” including Unikil and added that as of November 2021, four of New Zealand’s UNTSO personnel were providing support to Unifil.
“Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a Unifil position,” the mission said in a statement.
“We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times,” it said.
A total of five peacekeepers have been injured in recent days while 15 peacekeepers suffered “smoke effects” after the Israeli Defence Force fired several rounds about 100 metres from their position, which had been “deliberately” breached around two hours earlier the same day, according to a UN statement.
Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.
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