New Delhi: India on April 18 condemned the attack on French peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in southern Lebanon, in which one soldier was killed and three others injured, and called for a swift investigation and accountability.“We strongly condemn the attack that took place today on French UN Peacekeepers deployed in UNIFIL. We pay our homage to the fallen Blue Helmet and wish a speedy recovery to the three other peacekeepers who were injured,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.India also reiterated the need to respect the “sanctity and inviolability” of UN personnel and premises, and called on all parties to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers deployed under UN Security Council mandates.The statement recalled that India had piloted UN Security Council Resolution 2589 on accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. “We urge the government of Lebanon to urgently investigate this attack, bring its perpetrators to justice, and ensure accountability for this crime against UN Peacekeepers,” it saidThe French peacekeeper, identified as staff sergeant Florian Montorio, was killed when his unit was ambushed at close range by small-arms fire in the village of Ghanduriyah in southern Lebanon. France’s Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said the patrol had been attempting to reopen access to a UNIFIL position that had been cut off for several days by the fighting in the area. Montorio was hit by a direct shot from a small arms weapon and was carried away by fellow soldiers under fire, but could not be revived. Three other peacekeepers were wounded, two of them seriously.French President Emmanuel Macron blamed Hezbollah for the attack, saying “everything points to Hezbollah being responsible.” Hezbollah denied any connection to the incident, calling the accusations “rushed” and “baseless”, and urged caution pending the Lebanese army’s investigation.Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack and told Macron in a phone call that those responsible would be brought to justice. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam ordered an investigation.The attack took place amid heightened tensions in southern Lebanon, despite a 10 day ceasefire agreed earlier this week between Israel and Lebanon to negotiate an end to six weeks of fighting. The conflict, part of the wider Iran-US war, has seen repeated incidents involving UN peacekeepers, with both Israeli forces and Hezbollah previously accused of actions that endangered UN personnel.In late March, three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents – one in an explosion that destroyed a UNIFIL vehicle, and another in a projectile strike the previous day. A preliminary UN investigation found that one of the Indonesian peacekeepers was killed by Israeli tank fire, while the other two were killed by an improvised explosive device likely planted by Hezbollah. India had condemned those killings as well.