UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara today paid tribute to Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio, the UNIFIL peacekeeper who passed away yesterday in a tragic incident in Ghanduriyah, honouring his service and sacrifice, on the tarmac of Beirut airport prior to the repatriation of his mortal remains to France.
“We are here for you today; we are here to stand before you and to honour you,” the UNIFIL head told a memorial ceremony. “As your commander, I speak to you with respect and with a heavy heart. Florian, your service does not end here. It lives on in what we do next as soldiers, as peacekeepers; we all carry a responsibility to continue.”
Major General Abagnara continued, “You gave everything you had for the peace in this land. You have all our respect.”
Sergeant-Chef Montorio, 39, is survived by his wife and two daughters. Addressing his wife, daughters and the French Armed Forces, Major General Abagnara said, “We stand together in grief, with respect, and with gratitude as UNIFIL.”
The late peacekeeper was posthumously awarded UN and Lebanese Army medals in recognition of his dedicated service for peace in south Lebanon.
The solemn ceremony in Beirut was also attended by UNIFIL Chief of Staff and the senior-most French official in UNIFIL, Major General Paul Sanzey; Ambassador of France to Lebanon, Hervé Magro; representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi; and the Commander of UNIFIL’s French Contingent, Colonel Gaspard Lancrenon.
Major General Sanzey said Sergeant-Chef Montorio exemplifies France’s “constant and demanding” commitment to UNIFIL since the mission’s establishment in 1978, adding that his country remains “resolutely committed” to the UNIFIL mission with loyalty and determination.
“Through the presence of experienced, highly professional units, they conduct ground patrols, route‑clearances, and demining operations, and support the capacity‑building of the Lebanese Armed Forces,” he said. “France honours the memory of its heroic soldiers who, under the French colours, have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace.”
Yesterday morning, a UNIFIL patrol clearing explosive ordnance along a road to re-establish links with isolated UNIFIL positions came under small-arms fire from non-state actors, allegedly Hizbullah, killing Sergeant-Chef Montorio and injuring three others, two severely.
UNIFIL has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident. The mission has also called on the Government of Lebanon to swiftly initiate an investigation to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable for the crimes committed against the peacekeepers serving for peace.
