A second French soldier serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) died on Wednesday from wounds sustained in an ambush in southern Lebanon, which Paris blamed on Hezbollah.
This is the third French soldier killed since the war began on February 28 and expanded.
President Emmanuel Macron said on the “X” platform that Anicet Girardin, who was transferred to France on Monday after being seriously injured in Lebanon, “died this morning from his wounds.”
French authorities and the United Nations attributed Saturday's ambush to Hezbollah, which denied any involvement. The incident resulted in the deaths of two French soldiers and injuries to two others.
French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said on the “X” platform that Agnès Girardin, 31, “was subjected to violent gunfire from Hezbollah fighters at very close range, and was on his way to help his platoon commander who had just fallen when he too was seriously wounded.”
For his part, Army Chief of Staff General Fabian Mandon said on the X platform that “after his condition was stabilized by the medical team, he was returned to France on April 21,” adding that “despite the care provided by the medical team, he died from his injuries.”
During his visit to Paris on Tuesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that he was "personally following the investigation" into the ambush.
He added, “I have instructed the police to conduct all necessary investigations to identify those responsible and bring them to justice. Such acts cannot go unpunished.”
Another French soldier, Arnaud Freon, was killed in Iraq in mid-March in an attack attributed to an Iranian-backed faction.