French soldier is killed in Lebanon as Macron blames Hezbollah for ambush that also wounded three other troops
A French soldier was shot dead after UN peacekeepers were ambushed by an armed group in southern Lebanon.
He was injured by a ‘direct bullet’ after the patrol came under ‘small arms fire’ on Saturday morning, and three other people were injured in the attack.
Attempts were made to resuscitate him but he ‘tragically succumbed to his injuries’.
French President Emmanuel Macron blamed Hezbollah for the incident, which occurred just a day after the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel came into force on Friday, and called on Lebanese authorities to arrest the perpetrators.
“Everything indicates that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack,” he wrote in his social media post.
“France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest those responsible and assume their responsibilities together with UNIFIL,” he said regarding the UN mission in southern Lebanon.
French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said that UN peacekeepers were on a mission to clear a path towards the UNIFIL outpost when the ambush occurred.
The mission had been isolated for several days due to clashes in the area between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.
A French soldier was injured by a ‘direct bullet’ after the patrol came under ‘small arms fire’ on Saturday morning (File image)
Image: French UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol Al Qasmiyeh in southern Lebanon on April 18, 2026 (File image)
Emmanuel Macron blamed Hezbollah for the ambush and claimed that “everything shows that the Iran-backed group was responsible for this attack”
Vautrin said on social media that the dead French soldier was ‘ambushed by an armed group from very close range’.
‘He was hit directly by a small weapon and retreated under fire from his comrades who were unable to resuscitate him,’ he said.
UNIFIL said the peacekeepers “came under small arms fire from non-state actors” in a “deliberate attack” while “clearing explosive ordnance along a road in the village of Ghanduriyah” to reach the police station.
“Tragically, one peacekeeper died from his injuries and three others were injured, two seriously,” the statement said.
UNIFIL made its own assessment of the attack, stating that the incoming fire was ‘allegedly directed by Hezbollah’ towards its troops.
It was also stated that an investigation was launched into what could constitute a ‘war crime’.
Macron’s office said he met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam after the attack to call on Lebanese authorities to fully bring this incident to light and “identify and prosecute those responsible without delay.”
The French president also called on Lebanon to ‘do everything possible to ensure the safety of UNIFIL soldiers, who should not be targeted under any circumstances’.
French UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol southern Lebanon as displaced residents wave Hezbollah flags at them
UNIFIL patrols southern Lebanon near the Israeli border, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since last month
Salam said he ordered an investigation into the deadly ambush and that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
Lebanese politicians and the army condemned the attack in their statement and said that the army would continue its ‘close coordination’ with UNIFIL.
UNIFIL has been patrolling southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since last month after the Iran-backed militant group opened rocket fire on Israel in support of Iran, drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war.
Three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed last month; A preliminary UN investigation found that one was killed by Israeli tank fire, while the other two were killed by an improvised explosive device, possibly planted by Hezbollah.
Other UNIFIL peacekeepers have been injured since the war began, and in April Israeli soldiers destroyed security cameras at UNIFIL headquarters, the peacekeeper said.
Last week, an Israeli tank hit peacekeeping vehicles twice, causing damage but no injuries, according to UNIFIL.
UN peacekeepers have served as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel for decades, but their mandate ends at the end of this year.
Hezbollah denied involvement in the deadly attack after Macron accused the group of staging an ambush.
In a statement, the group said: ‘Hezbollah denies any involvement in the incident with UNIFIL forces in the Ghandouriyeh-Bint Jbeil area and calls for caution in making decisions and assigning responsibilities regarding the incident, pending investigations by the Lebanese army to determine the full circumstances of the incident.’
