Lebanon's prime minister has accused Israel of war crimes after Israeli airstrikes killed one journalist and wounded another in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj were deliberately targeted as they sought shelter in a home after an initial airstrike hit the vehicle in front of them, killing two men, Lebanese officials say. The officials also accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of intentionally targeting a marked ambulance as it tried to reach the journalists in the village of Tayri. The IDF denied that it was preventing rescue teams from reaching the area and said it did not target journalists.
Journalists Khalil, 43, who worked for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, and Faraj, a freelance photographer, were travelling together. The two men who died have not been named by officials. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated: Targeting journalists, obstructing access to them by relief teams, and even targeting their locations again after these teams arrive constitutes described war crimes. He accused Israel of repeatedly targeting media workers in southern Lebanon in what he described as an established approach and offered condolences to Khalil's family.
In a statement, the IDF claimed that it does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops. The IDF said it identified two vehicles that had departed from a military structure used by Hezbollah and claimed one of the vehicles posed an immediate threat, leading to the airstrike.
Khalil and Faraj's plight drew international attention, with the Committee to Protect Journalists expressing outrage over the incident. The report noted that repeated strikes on the same location, targeting journalists, and obstructing medical access constituted a grave breach of international humanitarian law. In previous attacks, several journalists have been killed, raising concerns about the safety of media workers in conflict zones like Lebanon.
Journalists Khalil, 43, who worked for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, and Faraj, a freelance photographer, were travelling together. The two men who died have not been named by officials. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated: Targeting journalists, obstructing access to them by relief teams, and even targeting their locations again after these teams arrive constitutes described war crimes. He accused Israel of repeatedly targeting media workers in southern Lebanon in what he described as an established approach and offered condolences to Khalil's family.
In a statement, the IDF claimed that it does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops. The IDF said it identified two vehicles that had departed from a military structure used by Hezbollah and claimed one of the vehicles posed an immediate threat, leading to the airstrike.
Khalil and Faraj's plight drew international attention, with the Committee to Protect Journalists expressing outrage over the incident. The report noted that repeated strikes on the same location, targeting journalists, and obstructing medical access constituted a grave breach of international humanitarian law. In previous attacks, several journalists have been killed, raising concerns about the safety of media workers in conflict zones like Lebanon.
