On March 28, 2026, an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine, southern Lebanon, killed three journalists, including a reporter for a Hezbollah-affiliated television network, escalating tensions over media safety in conflict zones.
The Attack and Victims
- The strike targeted a civilian vehicle in Jezzine, south Lebanon.
- Three journalists were killed:
- Ali Shuaib, working for Al Manar, a television channel owned by Hezbollah.
- Fatima Ftouni and Mohammad Ftouni, siblings who worked for Al Mayadeen, a pro-Iran and pro-Hezbollah channel.
- Al Mayadeen broadcast images of the charred vehicle and press vests, with colleagues expressing grief and outrage.
Israeli Justification
- Israeli forces accused Ali Shuaib of being “a terrorist” who posed as a journalist and was disclosing locations of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
- Israel's statement did not mention the other two journalists killed.
International and Local Reactions
- Lebanon's presidency condemned the attack as a “flagrant crime” and a violation of international humanitarian law.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is investigating and stated: “Journalists are not legitimate targets, regardless of the media they work for.”
- CPJ added: “We have seen a disturbing pattern in this war and in previous decades: Israel accuses journalists of being active combatants and terrorists without providing credible evidence.”
- Lebanon's Information Minister, Paul Morcos, announced that the government will file a complaint with the UN Security Council, describing the attack as a “deliberate and flagrant war crime against the media and the mission of journalism.”
- Al Mayadeen aired emotional segments, including the father of the Ftouni siblings expressing pride and a colleague, Jamal Al-Gharabi, holding up a damaged press vest, questioning the protection of journalists under international law.
Context and Previous Incidents
- The attack occurred during an intensified Israeli offensive against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, in southern Lebanon.
- Fatima Ftouni had previously survived an Israeli attack in October 2024 that, according to CPJ, hit a compound housing 18 journalists, killing two journalists and a media worker.
- In a video after that incident, Ftouni had displayed her damaged press gear, saying, “This is what remains of my vest, my helmet,” and holding up her microphone: “And the weapon we carry.”