Emmanuel Macron accuses Hezbollah after French soldier's death in Lebanon
via SeneNews1 min read
French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Hezbollah of responsibility for an attack in southern Lebanon that killed French Master Sergeant Florian Montorio and injured three other French soldiers. The attack targeted UN peacekeepers. Macron stated on X that "everything suggests that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack" and demanded that Lebanese authorities immediately apprehend those responsible and fulfill their duties alongside UNIFIL. The Lebanese President also condemned the attack and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Master Sergeant Montorio, from the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment of Montauban, was killed by "direct small arms fire" while on a mission to open a route to an isolated UNIFIL post. He was ambushed by an armed group at close range, according to Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin. This incident follows the death of another French soldier, Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion, in Iraqi Kurdistan a month prior, in a drone strike attributed by Macron to a pro-Iranian militia.
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Must ReadA French peacekeeper, Sergeant-Major Florian Montorio, was killed in Lebanon on Saturday after being caught in an ambush and succumbing to "direct fire," according to Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin. Montorio was on a mission to open a route to a UNIFIL post that had been isolated for several days by fighting in the area. He was ambushed by an armed group at close range and immediately hit by direct small arms fire. His comrades attempted to revive him under fire but were unsuccessful.
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