The Iranians are the big losers because war kills dissent, says Georges Malbrunot.

Published on 22/04/2026 at 23:09Updated on 22/04/2026 at 23:09

Georges Malbrunot, a senior reporter for Le Figaro specializing in the Middle East and author of “Investigation into the New Master of the Middle East,” published by Michel Lafon editions, was a guest on “Tout est politique”. He discussed the death of the second French soldier in Lebanon from the Finul, Chief Corporal Anicet Girardin, and the 54th day of war in the Middle East.

This text is a transcript of part of the above interview. Click on the video to watch the full interview.

Today we learned of the death of a second French soldier from the Finul, succumbed to his injuries during the same ambush in Lebanon that killed Adjudant Florian Montorio over the weekend. French soldiers were patrolling, trying to remove an improvised explosive device planted by Hezbollah near the road to target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. When the French soldiers attempted to remove the explosive device, they encountered Hezbollah fighters. An exchange of fire ensued, resulting in the death of the first French soldier. This is how it happened, as mentioned by the President of the Republic. The French soldiers were not targeted as French, but rather as part of the Finul, obstructing both the Israelis and Hezbollah. After the Finul convoy departed, more Hezbollah men reportedly came to reinstall the improvised explosive device to target Israeli soldiers.

Henri Verney: Can these incidents, even if the term may seem harsh due to multiple casualties, cause the presence of the Finul on the ground to be questioned, especially given that its mandate is expected to end later this year?

No, they will not question it. A Finul official told me that, as said before, it is very regrettable but part of the job. This isn’t the first incident. Just previously, two Indonesians were killed by Israel. The Finul soldiers are trapped. The Israeli army does not want any witnesses to its actions and has engaged in unfriendly operations, even against French soldiers. Hezbollah also takes a similar stance. The Finul is responsible for verifying Hezbollah’s disarmament with the Lebanese army. But Hezbollah is not cooperating. We are in an extremely fragile situation, but the Finul will continue until the end of the year. Emmanuel Macron mentioned a plan where France, Italy, and Spain, along with other significant contributors, will still be present to support the Lebanese army, albeit not under UN mandate but under a different one, to assist in disarming Hezbollah.

Alice Ruffault, the Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces, commented this morning on France’s military presence in the Finul and the region.

The current Finul mandate expires at the end of the year, and we will remain engaged until then. We are ready to work with the Lebanese authorities on the next steps. Given the current situation, it may not be the right time to have these discussions due to other pressing matters. We are available to support the Lebanese authorities’ agenda, aiming to ensure the monopoly of weapons in Lebanon and particularly in southern Lebanon.

Watch the full interview in the video above.