An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three journalists who were reporting on the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict, as confirmed by their respective television stations. Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV announced the passing of its veteran correspondent, Ali Shoeib, killed in the airstrike. The Israeli military claimed to have targeted Shoeib, labeling him a Hezbollah intelligence operative, though no evidence was provided to support this accusation.
Similarly, Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV reported that journalist Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed, a video journalist, were also killed in the same airstrike. Fatima had just finished a live report from southern Lebanon before the fatal incident in the Jezzine district. Lebanese officials, including President Joseph Aoun, condemned the strike, denouncing it as a violation of laws protecting journalists.
Al-Manar TV stated that the Israeli airstrike deliberately targeted journalists, resulting in the loss of a prominent figure in resistance media. Ali Shoeib, a well-known war correspondent for al-Manar, had covered events in southern Lebanon for nearly thirty years. The Israeli army alleged that Shoeib had been actively revealing the locations of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, maintaining ties with Hezbollah militants, and inciting violence against Israeli forces and civilians without providing further details.
Israel’s accusations against Shoeib resembled previous claims made by the Israeli military against Palestinian journalists targeted during conflicts with Hamas in Gaza, accusing them of posing as reporters while being Hamas militants. Notably, the Israeli military did not mention the other two individuals who lost their lives in the airstrike. Since the commencement of the recent Israel-Hezbollah conflict on March 2, Israel’s air force has targeted Hezbollah’s civilian facilities, including al-Manar’s headquarters and Al-Nour radio station.
The latest casualties add to the tally of journalists and media personnel killed in Lebanon this year, bringing the total to five. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported the death of freelance photojournalist Hussain Hamood, who formerly collaborated with al-Manar TV, in Nabatieh on Wednesday. The tragic incident follows a previous deadly Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut, claiming the lives of Mohammed Sherri, the head of political programs at al-Manar TV, and his wife.