Arabic version: مقتل جندي فرنسي في هجوم مستهدف في لبنان
According to BBC News,
A French peacekeeper has been killed and three others wounded after a UN patrol came under fire in southern Lebanon, in what officials described as a deliberate attack. The soldier was serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), which confirmed that one peacekeeper had died and three others were injured, two of them seriously, when their patrol came under small-arms fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron blamed the attack on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group that denied any connection to the incident. This incident occurs in the context of heightened risks for peacekeepers, particularly following renewed fighting between Hezbollah and Israel that began on March 2. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on April 16, which the US announced, urging Hezbollah to abide by its terms.
France’s Armed Forces Minister, Catherine Vautrin, stated that the peacekeeper had been part of a mission to reopen access to a Unifil position when it had been ambushed by an armed group at very close range. She reported that he was hit immediately by a direct shot from a small arms weapon and was pulled away by fellow soldiers, who were unable to revive him.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the attack, adding that an initial assessment from Unifil suggested that the team came under fire from non-state actors, which they presumed to be Hezbollah. The spokesperson urged all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities and to cease fire. The Lebanese Armed Forces noted that the incident followed exchanges of fire with armed individuals and emphasized coordination with Unifil during this sensitive period.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack and assured Macron that those responsible would face justice. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has also ordered an investigation into the incident. Hezbollah, however, rejected the accusations against it, labeling them as rushed and baseless, and called for caution in assigning blame until the Lebanese army completes its investigation. Unifil has reiterated that deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes.
