France blames Hezbollah for French peacekeeper's death in Lebanon

 A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack on Saturday, April 18, on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon that appeared to have been carried out by Hezbollah, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The fighting in Lebanon, one of the fronts in the Middle East war, has seen the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) deployed there repeatedly targeted, by both Israeli and Hezbollah forces. UNIFIL also blamed Hezbollah for the attack.

The peacekeeper killed, identified as Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio, was caught in an "ambush" as his unit headed to a UNIFIL outpost and he died from a "direct gunshot," France's Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said on X.

Hezbollah, which is strongly opposed to the planned talks with Israel, denied involvement in the attack.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/04/18/france-blames-hezbollah-for-french-peacekeeper-s-death-in-lebanon_6752565_4.html