French soldiers in southern Lebanon are at the center of escalation between Hezbollah and Israel

In southern Lebanon, French soldiers working as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) find themselves in the line of fire amid an escalation across the border between Hezbollah and Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

Approximately ten kilometers from the Israeli border, French Captain Paul, standing in front of a military vehicle bearing the UN emblem at the French battalion headquarters in the southern town of Deir Kifa, said, "We find ourselves in the heart of the fire."

He added, "We have moved from a relatively quiet area to a volatile one where everything largely depends on the slightest political statement."

The Israeli-Lebanese border has witnessed an escalation in shelling, primarily between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, raising concerns about the expansion of the conflict.

Hezbollah, which has no visible military presence in the Lebanese border region, stated that its daily operations primarily target Israeli army objectives near the border, framing it as support for Gaza and "support for its resistance."

Since then, French forces have increased their patrols from four to seven per day, according to the Captain in charge of operations at the Deir Kifa base. He added, "The situation is tense; shells fall daily, and their sound can be heard; we are in a war-like atmosphere."

He explained that "what used to happen before, over three or four years, is now happening within a week," referring to the launching of shells, missiles, and drones.

Dangerous Mission

So far, the exchange of shelling has largely been confined to border areas, although Israel has conducted limited strikes deep within Lebanese territory.

French Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu warned Monday in a speech to French soldiers at the Deir Kifa base before joining them for a New Year celebration that the mission of the French battalion "could become very dangerous."

He continued, "Our path will be fraught with doubts in the coming weeks and days."

France aims to avoid any escalation along the Israeli-Lebanese border, which explains the repeated visits of Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Le Drian to Lebanon since October 7.

UNIFIL forces have not been immune to the escalation, with their headquarters coming under fire and shells falling. At least two attacks targeted patrols affiliated with UNIFIL in the past week in their operational area near the border.

On Thursday, the international force urged Lebanese authorities to investigate an attack it said was carried out by youths from the town of Taybeh against a patrol, resulting in injuries to a member of the Indonesian battalion.

In the border town of Kfarkela on Thursday, a group of youths intercepted a French patrol as it passed through the town, forcing it to retreat after striking their vehicle with an iron rod without reporting any injuries, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

Le Drian and Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun discussed the mission of UNIFIL and "how to continue performing the task in light of deteriorating conditions and how to protect the soldiers of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL members in their missions."

The French movement comes as Israel presses to push Hezbollah north of the Litani River, about thirty kilometers from its northern borders.

AFP