A first class soldier, he was a member of the 8th marine infantry parachute regiment of Castres, Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin said on X, saying she was “deeply saddened”.
A French soldier deployed in Lebanon died Wednesday after being hit by a “Accidental shooting while preparing for training”announced the Chief of Staff of the Army in a post on X. Florian Gillet, 21, was “engaged in Lebanon as part of an operational partnership mission for the benefit of the Lebanese armed forces” of Saliyeh, in the south of the country, added the chief of staff.
A first-class soldier, he was a member of the 8th marine infantry parachute regiment of Castres, Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin said on «profondément attristée». He had been deployed in Lebanon since June 1, according to a press release from the Ministry of the Armed Forces. “Despite the speed of his treatment, he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries”adds the press release, in which the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, greets “the memory of this soldier who died in operation”.
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The fourth French soldier killed in the Middle East
“Today, France mourns a soldier, its family mourns a son, Castres mourns one of its paratroopers from the 8th RPIMa”reacted on his social networks the mayor of Castres, Florian Azéma (RN, far right). “Endowed with a deep sense of commitment when he joined the flags at the age of 19 in 2024 as well as unfailing determination, he was a certified parachutist last year”he added.
Florian Gillet is the fourth French soldier killed in the Middle East since the start of the war triggered by Israeli-American strikes against Iran at the end of February. In April, two French soldiers, Anicet Girardin, 31, and Florian Montorio, 40, deployed within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were killed, after an ambush attributed by France and the UN to Hezbollah, which denied any involvement.
Before them, chief warrant officer Arnaud Frion (posthumously promoted to major) was killed in Iraq in March in a drone attack attributed to a pro-Iranian militia.
