UN chief condemns attack on UNIFIL mission in Lebanon that killed French peacekeeper

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned on Sunday an attack on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that killed a French peacekeeper and injured three others.

"I strongly condemn Saturday’s attack on @UNIFIL_ during which one French peacekeeper was killed & another three were injured," Guterres wrote on US social media company X.

Guterres expressed his “deepest condolences” to the family, friends and colleagues of the fallen peacekeeper, and wished a “full and fast recovery” to those injured.

He noted that the attack is the third in recent weeks resulting in deaths to peacekeepers serving in Lebanon, raising concerns about the safety of UN personnel in the country.

“These attacks must stop,” Guterres said, urging all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities and adhere to a ceasefire.

French President Emmanuel Macron said one French soldier was killed Saturday and three others wounded in the attack that targeted UNIFIL troops.

“Sergeant Major Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment in Montauban was killed this morning in southern Lebanon during an attack against UNIFIL,” Macron wrote on X.

“Everything suggests that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack,” he added.

UNIFIL said it has launched an investigation after one of its positions “came under small-arms fire from non-state actors” in the southern village of Ghanduriyah.