Kehinde Fajobi
A tragic airstrike by Israeli forces has resulted in the deaths of three journalists in southeastern Lebanon, with eyewitnesses confirming that the strike targeted a guesthouse known to host media personnel.
The incident occurred in Hasbaya, where over a dozen reporters from at least seven different media organisations were staying. Witnesses reported that the vehicles on-site were prominently marked as “press.”
The victims included camera operator Ghassan Najjar and engineer Mohamed Reda from Al Mayadeen, as well as Wissam Qassem, a camera operator from the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV. Both networks issued heartfelt tributes to their fallen colleagues in the aftermath of the attack.
Lebanon’s Minister of Information, Ziad Makary, condemned the airstrike as a deliberate act, characterising it as a “war crime.” The Israeli military has yet to comment on the incident but has previously denied targeting journalists.
Reports indicate that three additional individuals sustained injuries from the blast. Footage broadcast by Al-Jadeed TV displayed the extent of the destruction, with the building suffering a collapsed roof and debris scattered throughout. An overturned vehicle, used for TV broadcasts, lay mangled on its side.
An Al-Jadeed journalist, visibly shaken and covered in dust, asserted during a live report, “All official parties were told that this house was being used as a stay-house for journalists. We coordinated with them all.”
Local reporters had recently moved to Hasbaya from the nearby Marj’youn area due to escalating dangers in the latter.
Youmna Fawwaz, a reporter for MTV Lebanon, recounted the harrowing moments just after the airstrike at around 3 a.m. local time, stating that ceilings had caved in and debris surrounded them.
Fawwaz added, “The building housing Al Mayadeen reporters was completely obliterated, and the presence of the media was known to both Israel and Hezbollah. This airstrike was intentional. All vehicles were marked as press, and we received no warnings.”
Minister Makary accused Israel of intentionally targeting journalists, calling it a violation of international law. He remarked on social media, “The Israeli enemy waited for the journalists’ nighttime break to betray them in their sleep. This is an assassination, planned and executed with full knowledge of our presence here.”
The strike marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, which has seen an increase in Israeli airstrikes and military operations against Hezbollah positions. Since hostilities intensified following Hamas’s attack on Israel last October, over 1,700 airstrikes have been recorded across Lebanon.
As a result of the conflict, nearly 2,600 lives have been lost in Lebanon, as reported by the health ministry, with the majority of fatalities occurring after Israel escalated its military actions.
The Israeli government has stated that returning displaced individuals in northern Israel to their homes is a primary objective amid ongoing rocket fire from Hezbollah.
The airstrike follows recent accusations by the Israeli military against Al Jazeera journalists in northern Gaza, suggesting affiliations with Hamas, which the Qatari network has vehemently denied.
Since the beginning of the conflict, at least 123 Palestinian journalists and media workers have lost their lives in Gaza, highlighting the growing peril faced by journalists covering the ongoing war.