Instability deepens in southern Lebanon after French peacekeeper killed in Hezbollah-blamed attack

A French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in the Qasmiyeh area, in southern Lebanon, on April 18, 2026. MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP The peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have paid the price for the extreme fragility of the truce established between Hezbollah and the Israeli military after 46 days of war. On Saturday, April 18, Chief Sergeant Florian Montorio, a French soldier serving with UNIFIL, was killed and three others were wounded in an ambush in the south of Lebanon. "Everything suggests that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah," said French President Emmanuel Macron on X. The Lebanese Shiite movement denied any involvement, condemning what it called "arbitrary accusations." "French soldiers saw those who were shooting at them. They were members of Hezbollah," said a French source, adding that "there was no decision from the central command" of the Shiite movement to target them. The incident took place in Al-Ghandouriyah, not far from the Deir Kifa base, where the 550 French UNIFIL soldiers taking part in Operation Daman are stationed, and the town of A l-Qantara, occupied by the Israeli army. "The French soldiers were carrying out reconnaissance for a logistical operation scheduled for the following day. They spotted an IED [improvised explosive device]. They wanted to remove it. These men were there. They opposed it. The soldiers insisted," the source said. You have 86.01% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.