Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon kills 3 journalists covering the war
Key Points:
- An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed three journalists, including Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah's al-Manar TV and Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed of Al-Mayadeen TV, while they were covering the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
- The Israeli military claimed it targeted Shoeib, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative and collaborating with militants, but provided no evidence and did not comment on the other two journalists killed.
- Lebanese officials, including President Joseph Aoun, condemned the strike as a violation of laws protecting journalists, while al-Manar described Shoeib as a respected correspondent with nearly 30 years of experience.
- This incident follows previous Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah media outlets and comes days after another strike killed Mohammed Sherri, head of political programs at al-Manar TV, raising the total number of journalists killed in Lebanon this year to five.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists also reported the recent death of freelance photojournalist Hussain Hamood in southern Lebanon, highlighting the increasing risks faced by media workers amid the conflict.