Overview
- President Emmanuel Macron said Chief Corporal Anicet Girardin died from wounds suffered in last week’s attack on a UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon.
- The same incident also killed Warrant Officer Florian Montorio as the French team worked to clear explosives on a road.
- UNIFIL said early findings point to fire from non-state fighters, allegedly Hezbollah, and the mission has opened an investigation into what it called a deliberate attack.
- Hezbollah denied involvement and called the accusations baseless.
- France contributes about 700 troops to UNIFIL, and recent incidents have also killed Indonesian peacekeepers, underscoring rising risks for the 7,500-strong mission.