L'Opération 14 juillet (
Operation 14 July) was a failed French operation to rescue
Ingrid Betancourt from the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in July 2003. Organized by
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, the mission failed to make contact with FARC guerrillas and eventually returned home. After details of the operation leaked in the Brazilian press, a political scandal erupted in France.