Lebanon’s president condemns ‘blatant crime’, as Israeli attacks kill more journalists Published On 28 Mar 202628 Mar 2026Three Lebanese journalists have been killed in an Israeli air strike on their clearly marked press vehicle in southern Lebanon.Other journalists were wounded in the attack, and one paramedic was killed.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listFatima Ftouni and her brother and colleague, Mohammed, of Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar’s Ali Shuaib were killed on Saturday on the Jezzine Road when, according to Al Mayadeen, four precision missiles hit the vehicle.When ambulances arrived, paramedics were also reportedly targeted, killing one. Al Mayadeen and Al-Manar have confirmed the deaths of their journalists.The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, claiming Shuaib was embedded within a Hezbollah intelligence unit and had been tracking Israeli troop positions in southern Lebanon. It also alleged he had been distributing Hezbollah propaganda.Al-Manar, his employer, described him as one of its most prominent war correspondents, having covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades.Israel, which has killed more than 270 journalists in Gaza, often alleges that the reporters it targets are members of or are linked to armed groups without providing evidence.Neither network accepted Israel’s characterisation.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israel had once again violated “the most basic rules of international law” by targeting civilians carrying out their professional duty.Citing the 1949 Geneva Conventions and UN Security Council Resolution 1738, he called it “a blatant crime that violates all norms and treaties under which journalists are granted international protection during armed conflicts”. Advertisement Prime Minister Nawaf Salam decried the attack as “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”.Six Al Mayadeen journalists killed in weeksFor Ftouni, the war had already struck close to home. Earlier this month, her uncle and his family were killed in an Israeli strike, a loss she had reported on live television.Al Mayadeen has now lost six journalists since hostilities began …
