A French soldier from the UN force deployed in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed this Saturday and three other soldiers were wounded – two of them very seriously – in an attack recorded in the south of that country that President Emmanuel Macron attributed to Hezbollah. Hours later, this pro-Iranian Shiite militia issued a statement denying any involvement in the ambush against the blue helmet contingent, which sparked all kinds of speculation.
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The deceased victim was Sergeant Major Florian Montorio. “The nation expresses its respect and support for the families of our soldiers and all our military personnel committed to peace in Lebanon. All indications are that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack. France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and assume responsibility together with UNIFIL,” Macron stated in a message published on the X network.
All indications are that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack”
Emmanuel Macron
President of France
Montorio, assigned to the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment in Montauban, died “from direct gunfire,” declared the Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin. UNIFIL indicated in a statement that, according to an initial assessment, the shots were fired by “non-state actors,” which would suggest a militia like Hezbollah or another armed group. The two most seriously injured were transferred by helicopter to a hospital in Beirut.
The French minister gave more details about the soldier’s death. “He was on a mission to clear a route to a UNIFIL outpost that had remained isolated for several days due to fighting in the area,” Vautrin said. “He was ambushed at close range by an armed group.” The minister emphasized that “this experienced non-commissioned officer” had already participated in several peacekeeping operations.
“The nation pays tribute to the memory of one of its sons, who gave his life for it. My thoughts are with his partner, his children, his loved ones, and his comrades in arms,” the minister added.
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The Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, condemned the action against the French peacekeepers. The Shiite militia’s denial suggests that the perpetrators could be a splinter group or even other actors who impersonated Hezbollah with the intention of influencing Paris’s stance in the current conflict in the region.
In its statement, Hezbollah implicitly alluded to Macron and expressed its “surprise” at those who “rushed to make arbitrary accusations” when, in contrast, they “remain silent” when Israel attacks UNIFIL.
This death comes almost a month after the death of another French soldier in the Middle East, Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion, 42, who died in the Erbil region, in Iraqi Kurdistan, in a drone attack “perpetrated by a pro-Iranian militia,” as explained by Macron during a national tribute.
UNIFIL has been deployed in Lebanon since 1978 and is composed of some 7,000 peacekeepers, including about 600 French.
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