An Israeli strike killed three journalists in south Lebanon, including a prominent Hezbollah correspondent, prompting Lebanese authorities to denounce the attack as a “war crime”.
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike killed three journalists in south Lebanon on Saturday, including a well-known correspondent for Hezbollah’s Al Manar network.
Lebanese authorities denounced the attack as a “war crime” and a violation of international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military confirmed killing Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib. It accused him of having “operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist”.
A Lebanese military source said Shoeib and Fatima Ftouni of Al Mayadeen were killed in Jezzine. Ftouni’s brother, a cameraman, was also killed in the strike.
Al Mayadeen and Al Manar confirmed the deaths of their journalists. Shoeib was one of Al Manar’s most prominent war correspondents, having covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killings as “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”. Information Minister Paul Morcos deemed the actions to be “war crimes”.
A strike on central Beirut earlier this month killed Mohammad Sherri, Al Manar’s political programmes director. Several journalists were also killed during the previous round of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023 and 2024.
At least five journalists were killed in Israeli strikes in the south in that conflict. In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six others wounded, including AFP journalists, near the Israeli border.
Israel launched a new series of raids on southern Lebanon on Saturday. Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said nine paramedics were killed in the strikes.
The minister said four medics were from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee. Five were from the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement’s Risala Scouts.
The Health Ministry has documented the deaths of 46 paramedics and five other healthcare workers in Lebanon since the war began. World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said March has been the second most deadly month for health workers in Lebanon since monitoring began in October 2023.
“Health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and should never be targeted,” he added.
The Lebanese army announced the death of two of its soldiers killed in Israeli airstrikes in Deir Zahrani and Kfar Tibnit. Military sources told AFP the soldiers were not on duty.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported “a series of strikes” in the south early Saturday. In Henniyeh, the health ministry said an Israeli strike killed seven people and wounded nine others.
Another strike on Deir Zahrani killed seven people and wounded eight others. Hezbollah said it had targeted gatherings of Israeli forces in several southern towns including near Taybeh.
The Israeli military later said it had killed “over 800” Hezbollah members “from the air, sea, and on the ground” since the start of the current war. Israeli forces have been pushing into areas near the border, with officials announcing plans to establish a buffer zone.
On Saturday evening, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut. Residents across the country reported hearing loud sonic booms.
The Sun Malaysia
