April 23, 2026 | 09:50 am
France announced on Wednesday the death of a second soldier following an attack in southern Lebanon targeting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
"Anicet Girardin has died this morning as a result of his injuries. He died for France," President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a message published on the X platform, as reported by Anadolu.
The soldier had previously been evacuated to France for treatment after being wounded in the same attack that killed Adjutant Florian Montorio and injured two other French personnel.
According to the French Ministry of Armed Forces, the patrol was attacked on April 18 in southern Lebanon in an incident involving an armed group.
Girardin was repatriated to France on April 21, but later succumbed to his injuries, the ministry said.
The incident occurred during a UNIFIL patrol in southern Lebanon, where French forces are part of the UN mission. There are more than 600 French peacekeeping troops deployed as part of the Unifil mission, which includes 7,500 personnel from 47 contributing countries.
Suspected Hezbollah Attack
UNIFIL described Corporal Girardin as "a specialist dog handler". On Saturday, his explosive ordnance disposal team "came under attack while clearing a road in Ghanduriyah to reestablish access to isolated Unifil positions," they said, as reported by The National.
Another soldier, Officer Florian Montorio, was previously reported by the French President to have been killed in a shooting incident connected by Macron to Hezbollah members.
Speaking alongside Macron in Paris on Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he was personally following the investigation into the incident "day by day." Macron stressed that he wanted quick results and the perpetrators to be imprisoned.
However, Salam warned that the "conditions on the ground were not easy" and that he could not predict whether it would take "48 hours or one week."
French sources had earlier told Le Monde that the incident on Saturday occurred when a French contingent tried to remove roadside bombs despite a group of Lebanese men, affiliated with Hezbollah, telling them to stop.
The sources said there had been no prior decision from Hezbollah central command to attack French soldiers.
UNIFIL is scheduled to begin withdrawing from Lebanon on December 31, after 48 years in the country, following the US veto on extending its mandate.
UNIFIL has operated in increasingly challenging conditions since the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. This began after the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into Israel days after a wider Iran war began. However, Israel has been striking southern Lebanon almost daily despite a ceasefire in November 2024. Israel has also been trying to build a buffer zone several kilometers inside Lebanon, a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Read: UNIFIL: Why Are UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon?
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