The Lebanese are well aware of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment to which Master Sergeant Florian Montorio belonged because, in 1982, this elite unit demined the city center of Beirut from which the Palestinian fighters had just been driven out. Ruined by the fighting, deserted by its inhabitants for years, haunted by militiamen posted on the front line, it was a cutthroat stuffed with deadly traps. Like politics in Lebanon. French paratroopers have returned the heart of the capital to the Beirutians.
The State has regained its homes, the Parliament, the Serail, etc. France, protector of Lebanon, could be proud of its soldiers and its diplomats who had succeeded in exfiltrating the PLO. A gigantic real estate operation then made it possible to expropriate the former owners and scandalously enrich Rafic Hariri, his clan and his Gulf friends. In the affair, only the men of the 17th RGP took risks and only France acted with nobility. But in vain: a year later, she packed up, driven out in turn by the attacks and hostage-taking by Islamic Amal, the ancestor of Hezbollah.
Wipe your feet
This is more or less the scenario repeating itself in South Lebanon. The non-commissioned officer served in the French UNIFIL battalion. He was killed during the ceasefire by Hezbollah militiamen as he prepared to neutralize a roadside improvised explosive device (EED). The madmen of God did not hesitate to machine-gun the peacekeepers on whom they are accustomed to wiping their feet.
Tel Aviv complied, promising to finish the job if negotiations fail
For their part, the Israelis are increasing provocations and intimidation. The diplomats deduce that UNIFIL is useful since it is attacked from all sides. In reality, her mandate prohibits her from opposing those who challenge her. He only authorizes him to retaliate in the event of a direct attack. This is how the 38th French peacekeeper fell on Friday in South Lebanon. Without flinching the Charles-de-Gaulle which cruises offshore with its Rafale Marine. The irony is that, despite these sacrifices, France has lost all influence in the Middle East.
Four wars later
Israel and Lebanon have finally entered into a dialogue, imposed by the White House. Ambassadors from both countries met at the State Department in Washington for preliminary ceasefire talks. It was the first time in three decades that they had spoken publicly. The Rubicon is modest but real: any contact with “the Zionist entity” has been prohibited to the Lebanese since 1955. In 1983, a peace agreement was signed by President Amine Gemayel, but immediately declared stillborn by the Lebanese parties screaming treason. Half a century and four wars later, the Lebanese government has finally declared Hezbollah’s military activities illegal. The party refuses, compares the government to Vichy and threatens to start a new civil war. This nightmare program was postponed by the intense and deadly bombings carried out by the Israelis.
More royalist than the king
Finally, Donald Trump said “That’s enough!” » Tel Aviv complied, promising to finish the job if negotiations fail. The palaver therefore takes place without France. The former mandatory power was more royalist than the king, fighting for the sovereignty of Lebanon in place of the Lebanese. It also pays for its complacency towards Hezbollah, the hypocritical distinction between the party and its military branch. She would have done better to nip him in the bud when he killed the Drakkar paratroopers in 1983. At the end of the year, the Blue Helmets will bring the flag. Forty-eight years for an interim force is enough. All is lost, except honor.
