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STORY: UNIFIL / LEBANON FRENCH PEACEKEEPER MEMORIAL
TRT: 10:45
SOURCE: UNIFIL
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNIFIL ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 19 APRIL 2026, BEIRUT, LEBANON
1. Wide shot, airplane
2. Med shot, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey shaking hands with Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro
3. Med shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara shaking hands with Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro
4. Wide shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara, Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey, 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 walking
5. Med shot, Lebanese Armed Forces Officers
6. Med shot, UNIFIL peacekeepers Officers
7. Wide shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara, Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey, 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
8. Med shot, coffin’s arrival
9. Various shots, UNIFIL French peacekeepers carrying the coffin, putting medals
10. Various shots, Major General Diodato Abagnara handing a medal to Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio (Coffin), UNIFIL peacekeepers holding the flags, representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi handing a medal to Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio (Coffin)
11. Various shots, medals, Major General Diodato Abagnara laying the wreath,
12. Various shots, Ambassador of France to Lebanon, Hervé Magro laying the wreath.
13. Med shot, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi laying the wreath
14. Walking shot, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey laying the wreath and salute
15. Various shots, Commander of UNIFIL’s French Contingent, Colonel Gaspard Lancrenon laying the wreath and salute
16. Various shots, coffin, frame picture - Sergeant-Chef Florian Montorio.
17. Wide shot, UNIFIL Rench Peacekeepers singing Priere De Para
18. Various shots, UNIFIL peacekeepers carrying the coffin.
19. Wide shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara, Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey, Representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi entering the airplane
20. Wide shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara, Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey, Representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi in the airplane, last goodbye
21. Wide shot, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara, Ambassador of France to Lebanon Hervé Magro, UNIFIL Chief of Staff Major General Paul Sanzey, Representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi leaving the airplane
22. SOUNDBITES (English) Brigadier General Maroun Azzi, Representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army:
“Today, we gather to bid farewell to a courageous hero, Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio of the French contingent serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). He embodied the highest standards of professionalism, discipline, bravery, and integrity. Throughout his service, he remained firmly committed to the fulfillment of his duty, preserving until his final moments despite the dangerous and difficult circumstances. During his deployment in Lebanon, Staff Sergeant Montorio played a vital role within his unit under the UNIFIL banner, contributing to the maintenance of peace in the south in the spirit of the longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between France and Lebanon. Distinguished attendees, the Lebanese Army Command holds in the highest regard all UNIFIL personnel, guided by our shared mission under Security Council Resolution 1701, and by the enduring spirit of mutual respect and the trust that has been firmly consolidated through the years. In the same spirit, the Lebanese people as a whole particularly the residents of the south deeply value the sacrifices of these personnel who have forged with local communities’ bonds of friendship and trust that have deepened over time.
Therefore, the Lebanese Army Command considers that any act of aggression against UNIFIL regardless of its magnitude constitutes a direct affront to the security and stability of our country and is therefore firmly condemned and rejected.”
23. SOUNDBITES (English) Major General Diodato Abagnara, Head of Mission and Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL):
“Today, we stand together in silence, respect, and grief. Dear Florian, we are here for you today! We are here to stand before you and to honour you! As your commander, I speak to you with respect and with a heavy heart. While serving under the United Nations flag you fell here in this country, in the south of Lebanon. Honour again to you, my soldier! These are moments we know may come, but we are never truly ready for them. We have lost a soldier, but more than that, we have lost a man, we have lost Florian who chose to stand for something greater than himself duty, courage, and peace! Dear Florian, “sapeur suis, para demeure.”“I am an engineer, a paratrooper I remain”. You carried those words with you; you carried the motto of your elite regiment as a way of life. You came here far from home to serve, day after day, with your comrades, to whom you gave your strength, your skills, and your character, your humanity, thank you for this Florian! You gave everything you had for peace in this land! You have all our respect! Dear Florian, we see you. We remember you and as UNIFIL family we stay united with you! To your loved ones, to your wife Isabelle, to Nora and sara, your loved daughters, to the French Armed Forces, we stand together in grief, with respect, and with gratitude as UNIFIL! 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. To stay steady. To stay united. To carry forward the mission you believed in. That is how we honour you, Florian! Your place remains with us, in our actions, in our commitment, in our sense of duty. May the earth rest lightly upon you, and blue the skies forever. Thank you for what you have done. Rest in peace, brother. Thank you again Florian! Respect, respect, respect.”
Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Major General Diodato Abagnara today (19 Apr) 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 Hezbollah, 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.
