An Israeli airstrike killed journalists covering the war in Lebanon as they slept

BEIRUT -- An Israeli airstrike killed 3 journalists arsenic they slept astatine a guesthouse successful southeast Lebanon astatine dawn Friday, successful 1 of nan deadliest attacks connected nan media since hostilities collapsed retired crossed nan separator a twelvemonth ago.

It was a uncommon airstrike connected an area that had truthful acold been spared airstrikes and has been utilized by nan media arsenic a guidelines for covering nan war.

The 3 a.m. airstrike turned nan tract — a bid of chalets nestled among trees that had been rented by various media outlets covering nan warfare — into rubble, pinch cars marked “PRESS” overturned and covered successful particulate and debris and astatine slightest 1 outer crockery for unrecorded broadcasting wholly destroyed. The Israeli service did not rumor a informing anterior to nan strike, and later said it was looking into it.

Mohammad Farhat, a newsman for Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV successful nan south, said everyone rushed retired successful their sleeping clothes. “The first mobility we asked each other: ‘Are you alive?’”

Those killed were camera usability Ghassan Najjar and broadcast technician Mohammed Rida of nan Beirut-based pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV, and camera usability Wissam Qassim, who worked for Al-Manar TV of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. It came aft a onslaught earlier successful nan week that deed an agency belonging to Al-Mayadeen connected nan outskirts of Beirut’s confederate suburbs. Both outlets are aligned pinch Hezbollah and its main backer, Iran.

The airstrike early Friday was nan latest successful a bid of Israeli attacks against journalists covering nan warfare successful Gaza and Lebanon successful nan past year. Israel has not commented connected what its target was successful nan Friday attack. But quality authorities groups opportunity deliberately targeting journalists is simply a warfare crime.

“Journalists are civilians that are entitled to protection nether world humanitarian law,” said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's lawman head for nan Middle East and North Africa. “It has been particularly disturbing to spot Israel target civilian institutions conscionable because of their affiliation to Hezbollah.”

The onslaught successful nan Hasbaya region drew contiguous condemnation from officials, journalists and property defense groups. TV crews had arrived successful Hasbaya, deeming it safer aft Israel had ordered an removal bid for a municipality further southbound from which they were reporting.

“That is why we see it a nonstop targeting, aimed astatine getting nan journalists retired of nan south," said Elsy Moufarrej, coordinator for nan Alternative Press Syndicate successful Lebanon. “They want to forestall nan journalists from covering and having beingness successful nan southbound of Lebanon.”

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said nan journalists were killed while reporting connected what he called Israel’s “crimes,” and noted they were among a ample group of members of nan media.

“This is an assassination, aft monitoring and tracking, pinch premeditation and planning, arsenic location were 18 journalists coming astatine nan location representing 7 media institutions,” he wrote successful a station connected X.

Imran Khan, a elder analogous for Al Jazeera English who was among nan journalists successful nan Hasbaya Village Club guesthouses, said nan airstrike deed astatine astir 3:30 a.m. without warning.

“These were conscionable journalists that were sleeping successful furniture aft agelong days of covering nan conflict,” he posted connected societal media, adding that he and his squad were unhurt.

Hussein Hoteit, a cameraman for Egypt’s Al-Qahira TV, said he was sleeping erstwhile he woke up to a “huge weight” arsenic nan walls and ceiling collapsed. He was miraculously saved by colleagues who managed to move nan debris covering him fewer minutes later. Their team's location was closest to nan 1 lodging Al-Mayadeen.

He said 2 missiles deed nan chalet adjacent door, though he didn’t perceive them. He said from his infirmary furniture wherever he is being treated for thigh injuries.

Three of nan 18 journalists staying astatine nan guesthouse, including an Egyptian national, were injured.

Yumna Fawaz, a journalist pinch nan Lebanese MTV station, said she was woken up by nan tile falling complete her head. She suffered a insignificant injury.

“This targeting destroyed nan full compound. All nan chalets were destroyed and nan roofs fell complete our heads,” Fawaz told The Associated Press. “This was nan safe space. It had not been targeted before.”

Friday’s deaths are nan latest successful a agelong list of journalists who person been killed successful Israeli attacks successful nan past twelvemonth successful Gaza and Lebanon.

In a study earlier this month, nan Committee to Protect Journalists said astatine slightest 128 journalists and media workers, each but 5 of them Palestinian, had been killed successful Gaza and Lebanon — much journalists than person died successful immoderate twelvemonth since it started documenting journalist killings successful 1992. All of nan killings isolated from 2 were carried retired by Israeli forces, it said.

“One twelvemonth in, Israel’s behaviour of nan warfare successful Gaza has exacted an unprecedented and horrific toll connected Palestinian journalists and nan region’s media landscape,” it said. CPJ said it has wished that astatine slightest 5 of nan journalists, including 1 successful Lebanon past year, were straight targeted by Israeli forces. The group is investigating different cases and unconfirmed reports of different journalists being killed, missing, detained, wounded aliases threatened.

The killing of journalists has prompted world outcry from property defense groups and United Nations experts, though Israel has said it does not deliberately target them.

Lebanon’s Health Minister says complete nan past twelvemonth 11 journalists person been killed and 8 wounded by Israeli occurrence successful Lebanon.

In November 2023, two journalists for Al-Mayadeen TV were killed successful a drone onslaught astatine their reporting spot. A period earlier, Israeli shelling successful confederate Lebanon killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and earnestly wounded different journalists from France’s world news agency, Agence France-Presse, and Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV connected a hilltop not acold from nan Israeli border.

This week, Israel accused journalists moving for Al Jazeera of being members of militant groups, citing documents it purportedly recovered successful Gaza. The web has denied nan claims arsenic “a blatant effort to soundlessness nan fewer remaining journalists successful nan region.”

CPJ has dismissed them arsenic well, and said that “Israel has many times made akin unproven claims without producing reliable evidence.”

Jad Shahrour, spokesperson for nan Samir Kassir Eyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, told AP Friday that bombing property centers is simply a deliberate effort to obliterate nan truth.

“It intends they are establishing a media blackout,” he said, adding that it was a troubling inclination that is now shifting from Gaza to Lebanon.

Al-Mayadeen’s director, Ghassan bin Jiddo, alleged that nan Israeli onslaught Friday was intentional and directed astatine those covering elements of its subject offensive.

Ali Shoeib, Al-Manar’s analogous successful southbound Lebanon, said nan camera usability who had been moving pinch him for months was killed successful nan attack.

“We were reporting nan news and showing nan suffering of nan victims and now we are nan news and nan victims of Israel’s crimes,” Shoeib said successful a video aired connected Al-Manar TV.

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Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue successful Beirut contributed.