Members of the Security Council condemned the attack that led to the death of a French soldier and the injury of three others in southern Lebanon, calling for those responsible to be held accountable, at a time when French President Emmanuel Macron held Hezbollah responsible, while a preliminary United Nations assessment indicated the involvement of non-governmental parties, which the party denied, amid affirmations of the need to protect UNIFIL forces.

Published on: 04/21/2026 - 04:51 Last updated: 04/21/2026 - 07:34

Members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday condemned the attack that killed a French soldier and injured three others two days ago in Lebanon, stressing in a statement the necessity of not targeting peacekeepers under any circumstances.

The statement said that peacekeepers "should never be the target of attacks," while offering condolences to the families of the victims and calling for "those responsible to be held accountable without delay."

Last week, French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautran announced the death of Florian Montourie, the first sergeant in the 17th Regiment of the Parachute Engineers, after he was hit “directly by small arms fire” in the Deir Kifa area in southern Lebanon.

President Emmanuel Macron noted that "all indications indicate that responsibility for this attack lies with Hezbollah."

Read also: Lebanon: A French soldier was killed in the UNIFIL force, and Macron holds Hezbollah responsible

For his part, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack, explaining that the initial assessment conducted by UNIFIL forces shows that peacekeepers were exposed to fire from non-governmental entities believed to be affiliated with Hezbollah.

On the other hand, Hezbollah denied in a statement “its connection to the incident that occurred with UNIFIL forces in the Ghandouriyah-Bint Jbeil area,” calling for “caution in issuing judgments and responsibilities regarding the incident, pending the Lebanese Army’s investigations to determine the full circumstances of the incident.”

Data indicate that the UNIFIL force deployed in Lebanon since 1978 includes more than 7,000 soldiers, including more than 600 French soldiers.

First Sergeant Montourio is classified as the second French soldier to be killed since the start of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February, which extended to include countries in the Middle East.

France 24/AFP

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