Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of war crimes after an Israeli strike killed journalist Amal Khalil and blocked rescuers from reaching her in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
Khalil, a reporter for the local outlet Al Akhbar, was covering developments near the town of al-Tayri with photographer Zeinab Faraj when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them. They fled to a nearby house, which was then struck again, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Faraj was pulled from the rubble with a head wound and taken to hospital, but when rescuers returned to help Khalil, a sound grenade and live fire blocked their access, the ministry said.
Civil defence teams later recovered Khalil’s body from under the wreckage. The strike was part of a broader Israeli operation that killed five people in southern Lebanon that day, including two in an initial car strike in the village of at-Tiri. Lebanese state media reported the car strike killed two civilians, though their identities were not immediately confirmed by Reuters.
Israel’s military said it struck two vehicles that had departed from a structure used by Hezbollah and crossed its “forward defence line,” claiming the vehicles approached troops in a threatening manner. It denied targeting journalists or obstructing rescue efforts, stating it had received reports of two injured journalists and acted to mitigate harm. The military also said it does not target journalists, despite a similar strike last month that killed three reporters in southern Lebanon, which Israel said had aimed at one of them.
For more on this story, see Iran’s IRGC Warns US and Israel Against Further Aggression in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health accused Israel of “pursuing” the journalists by targeting the building where they sought shelter and of striking the main road to Haddatha to prevent ambulances from reaching the site. Information Minister Paul Morcos condemned the attack on X, holding Israel fully responsible for the journalists’ safety and demanding protection for media workers.
Prime Minister Salam went further, declaring the targeting of journalists and obstruction of relief efforts as war crimes. He pledged Lebanon would pursue accountability through international bodies. The killings occurred amid a fragile ceasefire, which Hezbollah said Israel violated by killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 2, reigniting hostilities. Hezbollah responded by launching a drone at an Israeli artillery position, which the Israeli military said it intercepted.
More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hezbollah missile fire into Israel, according to Lebanese authorities. The pattern of strikes on media personnel and humanitarian access points has drawn repeated condemnation, with press advocates warning that such actions erode protections for civilians in conflict zones.
This follows our earlier report, Trump Accuses Iran of Breaking Deal Amid Middle East Tensions.
What evidence does Lebanon provide that Israel obstructed rescue efforts?
Lebanon’s health ministry, a senior military official and press advocates said a sound grenade and live fire blocked rescuers’ return to the building where Amal Khalil was trapped, and that Israel fired on an ambulance attempting to reach the site.
How has Israel responded to accusations of targeting journalists in this incident?
Israel’s military denied targeting journalists or preventing rescue access, stating it acted to mitigate harm and had received reports of two injured journalists from its strikes.
