Israeli strike kills three journalists in Lebanon

An Israeli strike killed three journalists Saturday in south Lebanon, including a well-known reporter for Hezbollah’s Al Manar network, with Lebanese authorities denouncing the attack as a “war crime”.

The Israeli military confirmed killing Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, accusing him of having “operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist”.

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.

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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.

Shoeib was one of Al Manar’s most prominent war correspondents, having covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades.

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”.

It later said that it had killed “over 800” Hezbollah members “from the air, sea, and on the ground” since the start of the current war.

The Star