In a tragic incident, three journalists lost their lives during an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Saturday. The journalists were reporting on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah at the time of the strike, according to their respective TV stations.
Among the victims was Ali Shoeib, a veteran correspondent for Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV. His death was confirmed by the station, which mourned his loss and remembered his long-standing career covering the region. The Israeli military accused Shoeib of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative, though they did not provide evidence to support this claim.
Also killed in the airstrike was Fatima Ftouni, a reporter for the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, along with her brother Mohammed, who worked as a video journalist. Just moments before the attack, Ftouni had been delivering a live report from southern Lebanon, specifically in the Jezzine district.
The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from Lebanese officials. President Joseph Aoun denounced the attack, describing it as a blatant violation of international laws and agreements that are meant to protect journalists in conflict zones.
Al-Manar TV expressed its sorrow, referring to the strike as an attack on journalism and a “martyrdom of the icon of resistance media.” Shoeib, well-regarded for his extensive experience, had dedicated nearly 30 years to reporting from southern Lebanon, becoming a prominent figure in war correspondence in the region.
Al-Manar said in a report that an Israeli airstrike targeted journalists, leading to the “martyrdom of the icon of resistance media.” A well-known Lebanese war correspondent, Shoeib had covered south Lebanon for Al-Manar for nearly three decades.
The Israeli army claimed that Shoeib was “operating systematically to expose the locations of (Israeli) soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.” The army also accused him of maintaining contact with Hezbollah militants and inciting against Israeli troops and civilians, without elaborating.
Al-Manar TV did not respond to the Israeli allegations but described its correspondent as “distinguished by his professional and credible reporting of events.”
Israel’s claim mirrored past Israeli military allegations against Palestinian journalists that it targeted in its war on Hamas the Gaza Strip, accusing them of being Hamas militants posing as reporters.
The Israeli military did not mention the two others who died in its statement.
Since the last Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, Israel’s air force has struck Hezbollah’s civilian targets, including the headquarters of Al-Manar and the group’s Al-Nour radio station.
Saturday’s strike came days after an Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut killed Mohammed Sherri, the head of political programs at Al-Manar TV, along with his wife.
The latest deaths bring the number of journalists and media workers killed this year in Lebanon to five.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said that freelance photojournalist Hussain Hamood, who used to collaborate with Al-Manar TV, was also killed Wednesday in the southern city of Nabatiyeh.
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