Overview
- A French patrol with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon came under close-range gunfire in the village of Ghanduriyah while clearing roadside explosives, killing Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio and injuring three colleagues.
- France said Hezbollah carried out the ambush, and UNIFIL said its initial assessment also points to the group as it opened a possible war-crimes inquiry.
- President Emmanuel Macron urged Lebanon's leaders to secure UN troops, after which President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam ordered an investigation.
- The shooting took place during a 10-day truce meant to allow talks between Israel and Hezbollah, as peacekeepers worked to reach a UN outpost cut off by recent fighting.
- UNIFIL has suffered repeated losses in recent weeks, including three Indonesian troops in incidents tied to Israeli tank fire and an IED likely planted by Hezbollah, intensifying pressure on the mission ahead of its year-end expiry.