Beirut, Lebanon. Israeli forces killed three Lebanese journalists in southern Lebanon on Saturday in an airstrike that Israel’s military said had targeted one of them.
Reported deaths and identifications
Lebanese television news channel Al Manar said its reporter Ali Shaib and reporter Fatima Ftouni, from Lebanese pan-Arab broadcaster Al Mayadeen, were killed when their vehicle was hit.
Lebanon’s information minister, Paul Morcis, later said Ftouni’s brother, Mohammed, a cameraman, had also been killed.
Israeli military statement
Israel’s military said in a statement it had killed Shaib, whom it called a “terrorist”, in a targeted strike, accusing him of being part of a Hezbollah intelligence unit, and said he had reported on locations of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon.
The statement also accused Shaib of “incitement” against Israeli soldiers and civilians, but did not mention the other journalists or provide evidence to support its assertion that Shaib was a member of a Hezbollah intelligence unit.
Hezbollah response
Hezbollah, which controls Al Manar, denied Shaib was part of one of its intelligence units.
“The enemy’s false claims are nothing but an expression of its weakness and fragility, and a desperate attempt to evade responsibility for this crime,” it said in a statement.
Lebanese president’s comments
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the journalists as “civilians doing their professional duty.”
“It is a brazen crime that violates all treaties and norms through which journalists enjoy international protection in war,” he said in a statement on X.
Statements from media outlets
Al Manar described Shaib as an “icon of resistance reporting.”
Al Mayadeen, which is widely perceived as editorially aligned with Hezbollah, and Iran’s allies and supporters in the region, said Fatima Ftouni had been distinguished by her brave and objective reporting.
What impact do you think this incident will have on the safety of journalists reporting in southern Lebanon?
