Just days after a ceasefire began in Lebanon, Hezbollah appears to have carried out an attack and killed a French soldier.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media that “St.-Sgt. Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment from Montauban fell this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL.”
In an unusually firm statement, the French leader added, “Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah. France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest the perpetrators and assume their responsibilities alongside UNIFIL.”
In the past, Hezbollah has gotten away with these kinds of attacks. Will the group once again get to reassert itself and kill people without any repercussions?
Tensions are high in the region. Israel has accused Hezbollah of ceasefire violations. Many Lebanese are trying to return to southern Lebanon in the wake of the ceasefire deal.
Israel has said it will keep control of a buffer zone near the border. It is dubbing this the “Yellow Line,” similar to the line in Gaza.
Meanwhile, France could choose to respond. Two weeks ago, reports by Turkey’s Anadolu media noted that “France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has arrived at Souda Bay in Crete for a scheduled refueling stop, local media reported.”
It added that the vessel had docked “near the city of Chania, and is expected to remain until April 7 before departing for operations in the eastern Mediterranean. Souda Base, located on the northwest coast of Crete near Chania, is a major naval and military facility.”
France has faced criticism in the past from Israel regarding Lebanon. In the recent talks between Israel, Lebanon, and the US, France was excluded.
The United States has also seemed nonplussed by European countries' stance on the Strait of Hormuz and the war against Iran. Could the attack on the French forces in UNIFIL in Lebanon finally lead to action? France, historically, has taken attacks on its forces seriously. It is also known for always seeking to bring hostages and detainees home from abroad.
More UNIFIL soldiers killed, wounded by Hezbollah
Macron wrote on X/Twitter that, in addition to the soldier who was killed, “three of his brothers-in-arms are wounded and have been evacuated. The nation bows with respect and extends its support to the families of our soldiers and to all our military personnel engaged for peace in Lebanon.”
Hezbollah has murdered other members of UNIFIL. In December 2022, Hezbollah killed Irish soldier Sean Rooney while he was on a UN peacekeeping mission.
In 2025, Lebanon claimed to have sentenced someone to death for the killing. However, the BBC reported at the time: “The main defendant in the case is Mohammad Ayyad. It is understood he did not appear in court on Monday.” Apparently, he was “at large.”
“A number of other men were convicted in relation to the shooting,” the BBC claimed. “The death sentence was announced at a military tribunal in Beirut, according to Irish broadcaster RTE.”
Several UN peacekeepers have also been killed in the recent fighting in Lebanon.
On April 1, the BBC noted that “two Indonesian peacekeepers were killed on Monday in a ‘roadside explosion’ in southern Lebanon, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix has said, citing the findings of an initial investigation.”
France24 noted that “the incident took place near Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon, a day after another Indonesian blue helmet was killed when a projectile hit the mission’s base in Ett Taibe and exploded.”
A new report from the BBC also noted that the Irish contingent, which has been a key to UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon for decades, is expected to withdraw by 2027. This may be part of the larger UNIFIL withdrawal.