An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed a journalist and wounded a photographer, Lebanese officials said on Wednesday, as paramedics reported being blocked from reaching the scene.
Reporter Amal Khalil was among at least five people killed in Wednesday’s strikes. A first attack hit a vehicle near Khalil as she was working near the village of At-Tiri, killing two people and prompting her and photographer Zeinab Faraj to seek shelter in a nearby house, which was then also struck, Lebanese officials said.
Khalil, 43, worked for the Beirut-based newspaper Al-Akhbar, which confirmed her death. The outlet is widely recognised as being editorially aligned with Hezbollah.
The strikes came on the deadliest day in southern Lebanon since a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on April 16.
Lebanon’s Civil Defence said its medics later recovered Khalil’s body from the damaged building in Al-Tiri after hours of delays as Israeli troops blocked them from entering the house. Faraj was evacuated with a head injury.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli troops fired a sound grenade and live rounds near the medics' ambulance as they attempted to approach the building. The medics later returned and recovered the body after a search operation.
The Israeli military denied blocking access to medics, and claimed it had struck vehicles that had crossed what it called a “forward defence line” and posed an immediate threat to its troops.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the protection of reporters and unimpeded humanitarian access, and warned that obstruction of medical teams could be in breach of international humanitarian law.
In a post on social media, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described attacks on journalists and obstruction of rescue efforts as “war crimes” and said Beirut would pursue the case internationally.
Lebanon's Information Minister Paul Morcos condemned the attack and said Israel was "fully responsible" for the safety of the journalists "affirming the necessity of immediately ensuring their protection and guaranteeing freedom of media work."
The attack comes amid the latest Israel–Hezbollah conflict, part of a broader escalation tied to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Khalil's killing is the latest in a series of attacks on journalists in southern Lebanon. In March, three media workers were killed in a strike, with the Israeli military saying that one of them had been the target of the attack.
Lebanese authorities say more than 2,400 people have been killed in the country since Israel renewed its offensive after a Hezbollah rocket attack on March 2. Israel says its military operation is aimed at preventing further cross-border attacks.
A second round of US-brokered talks is set to be held in Washington on Thursday in search of an extension to the 10-day ceasefire.
