In a tragic incident, three Lebanese journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a building in southeastern Lebanon known to house reporters. Witnesses reported that the attack struck a guesthouse in Hasbaya, which was being utilized by more than a dozen journalists from various media organizations, with vehicles visibly marked as “press” in the courtyard. Among the deceased were camera operators Ghassan Najjar and Wissam Qassem, along with engineer Mohamed Reda, all affiliated with media outlets linked to Hezbollah and pro-Iranian narratives.
Lebanon’s information minister, Ziad Makary, condemned the attack as a deliberate act and a “war crime,” asserting that the strike was intentional, given that the location was known to host journalists. While the Israeli military has not commented on this specific incident, they have previously denied targeting journalists in the ongoing conflict. The airstrike also resulted in injuries to three other individuals, as confirmed by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The airstrike occurred at approximately 3:00 AM local time, according to Youmna Fawwaz, a reporter for MTV Lebanon, who described the chaos following the explosion. She stated that journalists were awakened by the blast, finding themselves trapped under rubble. Fawwaz emphasized that the compound was widely recognized as a safe space for media personnel and criticized the lack of warning prior to the strike, accusing Israel of attempting to intimidate journalists covering the conflict.
This attack marks a significant escalation in the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which reignited following Hamas’s attack on Israel last year. The situation in Lebanon has seen over 1,700 airstrikes recorded in recent weeks, with devastating impacts on infrastructure and civilian life. According to health officials, nearly 2,600 individuals have died in Lebanon since the conflict escalated, highlighting the dire consequences of the ongoing violence in the region.
