BEIRUT/NEW YORK April 19, 2026 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned a deadly attack on a UN peacekeeping patrol in southern Lebanon that killed one French soldier and injured three others.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) late Saturday, Guterres said:
“I strongly condemn Saturday’s attack on @UNIFIL_during which one French peacekeeper was killed & another three were injured.
I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends & colleagues of the fallen peacekeeper, and wish a full & fast recovery to the injured peacekeepers.
This is the third incident in recent weeks to have resulted in the deaths of peacekeepers serving in Lebanon.
These attacks must stop. All actors must respect the cessation of hostilities & the ceasefire.”
The attack took place on the morning of April 18, 2026, in the village of Ghandouriyeh in southern Lebanon. A UNIFIL patrol was clearing explosive ordnance along a road to reconnect isolated UN positions when it came under small-arms fire from “non-state actors,” according to the peacekeeping mission. One peacekeeper — identified in French reports as Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio — was killed by direct fire. Three others were wounded, two of them seriously.
French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, blamed the Iran-backed Hezbollah group for the ambush. UNIFIL and Lebanese authorities have launched investigations into the incident. Hezbollah has denied involvement.
The killing comes just days after Israel and Lebanon announced a fragile ceasefire following months of cross-border hostilities. It marks the third fatal incident involving UNIFIL peacekeepers in recent weeks. Earlier attacks in late March killed three Indonesian peacekeepers in separate explosions of undetermined origin amid the fighting.
UNIFIL, established in 1978, has around 10,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the area to be free of armed groups other than the Lebanese army and UN forces.
Guterres’ statement echoes growing international concern over repeated threats to peacekeepers and the stability of the ceasefire. Several countries, including Qatar and the UAE, have also condemned the attack and urged full respect for UNIFIL’s mandate.
The UN chief’s call comes as Lebanon’s army said it has opened its own investigation and vowed to hold those responsible to account.
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