Israeli strike kills three journalists in south Lebanon

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in the opening salvo of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic. Israel has responded with large-scale airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive in the south, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 1,189 people killed since the hostilities broke out. At least 46 rescuers and five medical staff in Lebanon have been killed in the war, according to the health minister.

A Lebanese military source told AFP earlier on Saturday that Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah’s Al Manar channel and Fatima Ftouni of Al Mayadeen, seen as close to the Iran-backed movement, were killed in Jezzine, alongside Ftouni’s brother, a cameraman. Al Mayadeen and Al Manar confirmed the deaths of their journalists. In a statement, the Israeli military said it had targeted Shoeib, alleging that he “operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist for the Al Manar network, while operating systematically to expose the locations of IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon and along the border”.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killings, calling them “a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars”. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists was “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”, while Information Minister Paul Morcos deemed the actions to be “classified as war crimes”.