Israel accused of targeting journalists in deadly strikes in southern Lebanon
Human rights organisations have accused Israel of committing a war crime after a Lebanese journalist was killed and another was seriously wounded in a series of strikes in southern Lebanon. The incident took place in the village of Al-Tiri on 22 April, according to the supplied material, and involved three separate strikes by the Israel Defense Forces. The organisations say their investigations indicate that the two women were deliberately targeted while sheltering during the attack.
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The journalist who was killed was Amal Khalil, a 42-year-old veteran correspondent for the newspaper Al-Akhbar. Her colleague, Zeinab Faraj, a 21-year-old freelance photographer and camera operator, was seriously wounded. The supplied material says the first strike hit a vehicle in front of the car they were in, forcing them to take shelter, before a second strike hit their vehicle about an hour later.
A third strike followed an hour after that, while Israeli surveillance drones were hovering overhead. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said they based their findings on firsthand accounts from Faraj, emergency crews who tried to reach the pair, and an examination of photos and videos from the scene. Faraj told investigators that drones came extremely close and appeared to be provoking fear while the women were sheltering.
The organisations said rescue efforts were hampered during the sequence of strikes. The Israeli military said it had been targeting Hezbollah fighters and later said two Hezbollah operatives were the intended targets of the operation. The allegations are significant because they raise questions about the protection of journalists in conflict zones and the conduct of military operations in areas where civilians are present.
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Under international humanitarian law, journalists are civilians unless they take a direct part in hostilities, and attacks must distinguish between military and civilian targets. The case has also drawn attention because it involves repeated strikes over a short period, rather than a single isolated blast, and because the women were reportedly sheltering after the first attack. Lebanon has been caught in repeated cross-border violence linked to the wider conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah, and southern border villages have been among the most exposed areas.
In this case, the village of Al-Tiri became the focus of competing accounts: human rights groups say the journalists were deliberately targeted, while the Israeli military says the operation was aimed at Hezbollah operatives. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of a war crime at the time, adding political weight to the case. The supplied material says the two rights groups pieced together the sequence of events from witness testimony and visual evidence, and concluded that Israeli forces knew or should have known that two civilian women were sheltering in the building after the first strike.
That assessment is central to their call for an investigation. It also places the incident within a broader debate over accountability in the conflict and the risks faced by local reporters covering violence near the border. What remains unclear from the supplied material is whether any formal investigation has been opened by Israeli or international authorities, and whether the military has provided further detail on the identities of the alleged Hezbollah targets.
The immediate next issue is whether the allegations lead to a legal review or additional findings from rights groups. The case is likely to remain part of the wider scrutiny of strikes in southern Lebanon and the protection of civilians and journalists during hostilities.
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