A French soldier was killed and three others were injured on Saturday in , during a road clearing operation. Both the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) and French officials point to the , in what is described as “intentional”, as a possible culprit.
The wrath of Emmanuel Macron
In phone calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Emmanuel Macron condemned the “unacceptable attack”.
According to a statement from the Champs-Elysées, the evidence so far points to the Iranian-backed organization, with the French president calling on the Lebanese authorities to act immediately against those responsible.
Chief Sergeant Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment of Montauban fell this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL.
Three of his brothers in arms were injured and were evacuated.
The Nation bows with respect…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron)
The chronicle of the ambush at Ganduria
French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said the patrol was ambushed in the village of Gantouria while trying to open a road to a UNIFIL outpost that had been blocked by fighting. The French soldier was killed by direct small arms fire, while two of the three wounded are hospitalized in serious condition.
For its part, Hezbollah denied any involvement, expressing its “surprise” at the “baseless accusations” leveled against it.
New bloody incidents and ceasefire violations
Alongside the UNIFIL incident, tension remains high with Israeli forces involved:
- “Terrorist cell” neutralized: The Israeli military announced that it had killed members of a “terrorist cell” who violated the ceasefire (which took effect on April 16) and approached its soldiers in southern Lebanon.
- Death of Israeli soldier: Israel also confirmed the death of a soldier, who had been wounded on Friday. Reports indicate that the injury was caused by an explosive device that was likely planted before the ceasefire began.
The status of the agreement
The “cease of hostilities” agreement, brokered by the US, provides for an initial period of 10 days for peace negotiations to take place. However, the text of the agreement does not require Israel to immediately withdraw from southern Lebanon, an area that makes up about 8% of Lebanese territory and where Israeli forces continue to attack infrastructure.
