Israeli Airstrike Kills Journalists in Lebanon; IDF Cites Hezbollah Ties. TLF Condemns Targeting Journalists
An Israeli airstrike on Saturday struck a vehicle travelling in southern Lebanon, killing at least three people, including two journalists working for Lebanese media outlets Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar. The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from Lebanese authorities and media organisations, while the Israeli military asserted that at least one of those killed was an active member of Hezbollah’s intelligence apparatus.
The Incident
Al Mayadeen Media Network announced the death of its South Lebanon correspondent, Fatima Ftouni, along with her brother Mohammad Ftouni, following the strike. Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Hassan Shaib — widely known among colleagues as Hajj Ali Shoeib — was also killed in the same attack. According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent Jamal Ghourabi, the vehicle was visibly marked as a press car and was struck by four precision missiles. He further reported that paramedics who subsequently arrived at the scene were also targeted, resulting in the death of one paramedic.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strike, stating that it “violates the most basic principles of international law, international humanitarian law, and the laws of war,” and called on international bodies to intervene.
Israeli Military’s Position
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the strike as a targeted operation against Ali Hassan Shaib, whom it identified as a member of the intelligence unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force. According to the IDF, Shaib used his position at Al-Manar to gather and transmit information on IDF positions in southern Lebanon and along the border, and maintained contact with operatives within Hezbollah’s broader structure. The IDF characterised Al-Manar as a Hezbollah-affiliated outlet used for the dissemination of propaganda.
The IDF did not issue a specific statement regarding Fatima Ftouni, whose network, Al Mayadeen, is editorially independent of any political faction, though it maintains a broadly pro-resistance editorial line.
Broader Context
The strike occurred amid an intensifying Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon. According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF reported that overnight strikes on Friday also killed two senior Hezbollah commanders: Ayyoub Hussein Yaacoub, identified as a senior figure in Hezbollah’s communications and rocket units, and Yasser Mohammad Mubarak, described as holding similar roles. The military said strikes throughout the weekend targeted weapons depots, launchers, and military infrastructure across southern Lebanon, conducted from both air and sea in support of ground operations.
On Saturday afternoon, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for several villages in southern Lebanon, urging residents to relocate north of the Zahrani River, with directives understood to cover areas including Rashidieh, al-Bas, and Wadi Jilo.
Israeli casualties were also reported. The IDF confirmed that an officer was severely wounded and six soldiers sustained moderate injuries following rocket fire on Saturday morning, with a separate anti-tank missile strike on Friday wounding two additional officers. Two soldiers were also announced killed earlier in the week: Sergeant Aviad Elchanan Volansky, 21, and Staff Sergeant Ori Greenberg, 21.
IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin stated on Friday that Israel would take the necessary steps to disarm Hezbollah, criticising the Lebanese government for what he described as insufficient action. Defence Minister Israel Katz separately declared that Israeli forces would occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to establish a “defensive buffer zone,” a move Hezbollah characterised as an “existential threat” to Lebanon.
A Pattern of Journalist Deaths
Al Mayadeen noted that Saturday’s deaths are not without precedent. In November 2023, its correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Me’mari were killed in a strike that the network said directly targeted them following a live broadcast. In October 2024, Al Mayadeen’s Ghassan Najjar and Mohammad Reda were killed in what the network also described as a deliberate attack on press personnel.
Fatima Ftouni had also personally reported, live on air, on the killing of her uncle and his family in an earlier Israeli strike on the village of Toul.
Ali Hassan Shaib had covered Lebanese-Israeli confrontations for over three decades, present at key moments including the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and the 2006 war.
Editorial Note — The Levant Files:
The Israeli military has asserted that two of the journalists killed on Saturday were members of Hezbollah. The Levant Files takes note of this claim while emphasising that it remains unverified by any independent authority. The Levant Files unequivocally condemns any deliberate targeting of journalists, regardless of the identity of the perpetrator. Journalists operating in conflict zones must be protected under international humanitarian law. The sole exception that could justify scrutiny of an individual’s journalistic status is a finding by an independent, credible inquiry demonstrating that a person is using journalistic identity as cover for criminal or combatant activities. Until such a finding is made, the presumption of protected status must hold. The targeting of press vehicles, marked personnel, and those attempting to reach wounded journalists sets a dangerous precedent with consequences that extend far beyond any single conflict.
Photo: Al Mayadeen