A French UNIFIL soldier was killed, and three others were wounded during an attack in southern Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in a post on X/Twitter Saturday.
“Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,” Macron wrote. “France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest the perpetrators and take their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL.”
Macron identified the soldier as Sgt. First Class Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban, France.
Three other UNIFIL soldiers were wounded in the attack, Macron added, and all of them have been evacuated to a nearby hospital.
UNIFIL acknowledged the attack in an X post on Saturday, saying that the attack was perpetrated by “non-state actors.”
“This morning [Saturday], a UNIFIL patrol clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghanduriyah to re-establish links with isolated UNIFIL positions came under small-arms fire from non-state-actors,” said UNIFIL.
Additionally, in a separate X post, UNIFIL called on the Lebanese government to “swiftly” investigate the incident and “hold the perpetrators accountable for the crimes committed against UNIFIL peacekeepers.”
Lebanese Prime Minister condemns attack
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attack in an X post on Saturday, saying such attacks cause “great harm to Lebanon.”
“I condemn the assault today on elements of the French battalion in UNIFIL,” said Salam. “I have issued my strict instructions to conduct an immediate investigation to uncover the circumstances of this assault and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”