A French soldier serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed and three others wounded in an attack on their patrol in southern Lebanon. French President Emmanuel Macron has directly blamed the militant group Hezbollah for the incident, demanding swift action from Lebanese authorities.
The fatal incident occurred Saturday morning when a UNIFIL patrol, engaged in clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghandouriyeh, came under small-arms fire. French President Emmanuel Macron identified the fallen soldier as Chief Sergeant Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment. He stated that three of Montorio’s comrades were wounded and evacuated, with two sustaining serious injuries.
Macron took to social media platform X to express his condolences and assign blame. “Chief Sergeant Florian Montorio… fell this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL,” he wrote. “Three of his brothers-in-arms are wounded and have been evacuated.”
Both President Macron and UNIFIL indicated that Hezbollah was responsible for the attack. UNIFIL’s initial assessment suggested the fire originated from “non-state actors,” a term often used to refer to Hezbollah. The UN force condemned the attack as “deliberate” and launched an investigation into the circumstances.
However, Hezbollah swiftly denied any involvement in the incident. A statement from the group urged “caution in issuing judgments and responsibilities regarding the incident” and expressed surprise at what it called arbitrary accusations. Hezbollah called for the Lebanese army to complete its investigation before any blame is assigned.
Following the attack, President Macron held calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. He urged them to “guarantee the security of UNIFIL soldiers” and to “immediately arrest those responsible.” Both Lebanese leaders condemned the attack and pledged to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The deadly assault occurred just days after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect, brokered by the United States. The war between the two sides, which began in March, had resulted in significant casualties and displacement in Lebanon. UNIFIL’s mission in southern Lebanon is to monitor hostilities along the border, but the force has occasionally been caught in the crossfire.