Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills three journalists covering the war

An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Saturday killed three journalists who were covering the Israel-Hezbollah war, according to their TV stations. Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported that its longtime correspondent, Ali Shoeib, was among those killed. The Israeli military claimed it targeted Shoeib, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative without providing evidence.

Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV stated that reporter Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed, a video journalist, were also killed in the same airstrike in the southern district of Jezzine. Ftouni had just been on air with a live report from southern Lebanon before the strike. The incident has drawn condemnation from top Lebanese officials, with President Joseph Aoun calling it a “flagrant crime that violates all laws and agreements that protect journalists.”

Al-Manar described its correspondent as “distinguished by his professional and credible reporting of events.” The Israeli army alleged that Shoeib was “operating systematically to expose the locations of (Israeli) soldiers operating in southern Lebanon,” and accused him of maintaining contact with Hezbollah militants and inciting against Israeli troops and civilians, though it did not elaborate on these claims.

The Israeli military’s accusations mirror past allegations against Palestinian journalists during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where it accused them of being militants posing as reporters. Since the last Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, Israel’s air force has struck Hezbollah’s civilian targets, including the headquarters of Al-Manar and the group’s Al-Nour radio station.

Saturday’s strike occurred days after an Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut killed Mohammed Sherri, the head of political programs at Al-Manar TV, along with his wife. The latest deaths bring the number of journalists and media workers killed this year in Lebanon to five. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that freelance photojournalist Hussain Hamood, who collaborated with Al-Manar TV, was also killed Wednesday in the southern city of Nabatiyeh.

The incident highlights the ongoing risks faced by journalists in conflict zones, underscoring the need for accountability and protection for those who report on war.

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