War in the Middle East: What is the UNIFIL, of which Sergeant

Sergent-chef Florian Montorio: A French soldier killed in Lebanon

Maintenance operations for peace. On Saturday, April 18, Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio from the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment of Montauban was killed in southern Lebanon while deployed as part of an operation within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Close to 8,200 soldiers from 47 different nations, including over 600 French troops, make up the UN Peacekeepers in UNIFIL.

UNIFIL, established by the UN Security Council, has been in Lebanon since March 1978 to “confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and assist the Lebanese government in re-establishing its effective authority in the region,” as stated on the UNIFIL website.

Deterrence without intervention

The Blue Helmets have the power of persuasion and deterrence but not intervention. The priority is to stabilize Lebanon and report information back to the UN Headquarters in New York. Their mandate was expanded in 2006 with an agreement specifying that only UN peacekeeping forces and the Lebanese army are deployed behind “the Blue Line,” the border between Israel and Lebanon.

UNIFIL is funded by all UN member states. Its annual budget reaches $550 million. However, its effectiveness has been heavily criticized. For instance, Hezbollah has built tunnels under the Blue Line to cross into Israel. Since 1978, 343 peacekeepers have been killed in Lebanon. Incidents targeting them have multiplied since the start of the war in Iran. “Attacks” against these UN forces can constitute “war crimes,” warned António Guterres, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, in 2024.