Florian Montorio, a French military member of the UNIFIL, was killed on Saturday in southern Lebanon during an ambush against peacekeepers. “The nation bows with respect and offers its support to the families of our soldiers and to all our military personnel engaged for peace in Lebanon. Everything indicates that the responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.
Sergeant-Chief Florian Montorio, attached to the 17th parachute engineering regiment of Montauban in southwest France, was killed “by direct fire with a light weapon” in the Deir-Kifa region, as stated by French Minister of Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin. Three of his comrades were injured in the attack, including two seriously, and evacuated, according to a preliminary report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest the culprits and take responsibility for the UNIFIL,” wrote Emmanuel Macron.
An “extremely short-range ambush”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, along with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, condemned the attack on French UN peacekeepers on Saturday. Aoun promised to pursue those responsible. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) denounced a “deliberate attack,” stating that the ambush perpetrators were likely Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, in a region of Lebanon where it has significant influence.
Emmanuel Macron spoke with President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Saturday, asking them to “ensure the security of UNIFIL soldiers,” deployed in Lebanon since 1978, comprising over 7,000 troops, including over 600 French.
Sergeant-Chief Montorio “was on a mission to open a route to a UNIFIL post isolated for several days due to fighting in the area when he was caught in an ambush by an armed group at very close range,” detailed Catherine Vautrin, pointing out that this “experienced non-commissioned officer,” a member of the armed forces “for 18 years,” had already been “deployed multiple times in operations.”
“The nation bows before the memory of one of its sons who gave his life for it. My thoughts go to his partner, his children, his loved ones, and his comrades,” added the minister. “Occitania mourns and salutes a courageous man, a soldier of the Republic,” wrote Carole Delga, President of the Occitania region, in honor of the soldier from Tarn-et-Garonne.
The Hezbollah denies the accusations
“Hezbollah denies any connection to the incident with UNIFIL,” said the pro-Iranian group on Saturday afternoon. They urged to “exercise caution” before assigning responsibility for the incident, pending the results of the Lebanese army’s investigation.
This is the second French soldier killed by Tehrani allies since the start of the war initiated at the end of February by the United States and Israel against Iran, which has engulfed the entire region. On March 12, Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion, 42, was killed in a drone attack attributed to a pro-Iranian militia. He was deployed at a base in the Erbil region in Iraqi Kurdistan, where he was participating in an anti-jihadist training mission.
With AFP
