Israeli Airstrike Kills Lebanese Journalists Ali Shoeib, Mohammed Ftouni, Fatima Ftouni

Three Lebanese journalists were killed on Saturday, March 28, when an Israeli airstrike hit their vehicle in the south of Lebanon, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the attack as a "flagrant crime".

“At least three people have been killed in Israeli air attacks on vehicles in southern Lebanon, the country’s National News Agency (NNA) reported, as the Israeli military issued new forced displacement orders for residents in the south”

Al Jazeera

Franceinfo said a car completely destroyed by the strike contained a helmet, a bulletproof vest, and equipment belonging to the three journalists killed, including war correspondent Ali Shoeib, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni, and journalist Fatima Ftouni.

Al Jazeera

BFM reported that the Israeli military said it targeted Ali Choeib, whom it described as a member of Hezbollah's al-Radwan force operating "under the cover of a journalist," and that it accused him of having "systematically exposed the positions of Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon."

BFM added that Al-Mayadeen confirmed Fatima Ftouni's death on its Telegram channel and Al-Manar announced the death of its war correspondent, one of the channel's oldest, during a news bulletin.

Lebanese Information Minister Paul Marcos said, "We do not consider the repeated and deliberate targeting of journalists to be normal, and we will not accept it," as a large gathering of dozens of journalists took place in downtown Beirut.

Franceinfo quoted an Al Mayadeen correspondent saying, "No helmet or vest can protect us," after showing images of the strike on the journalists' car.

BFM

BFM reported that Joseph Aoun denounced a "violation of international law" by Israel and recalled that "journalists enjoy international protection in times of war."

La Tribune described the strike as an "execution" and said Israel identified Ali Shoeib as a member of the al-Radwan force operating under the cover of a journalist.

The deaths of the journalists came as Franceinfo said that since the start of the war in the Middle East nearly 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon, and it also reported that 51 people have been killed since the war began.

Le Monde.fr reported that on Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, three more journalists and ten rescuers were killed by the Israeli army, and it said UNIFIL announced on Monday, March 30, that an Indonesian soldier had been killed near Adchit Al-Qusayr.

UN News said three UN peacekeepers from UNIFIL were killed in the last 24 hours in the south of the country, with one Indonesian UN peacekeeper killed on Sunday inside their position at Ett-Taibe and another killed on Monday when an explosion struck a FINUL logistics convoy near Bani Hayyan.

UN News warned that "Deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law" and said the peacekeepers remain on the ground in "extremely dangerous conditions," while UNIFIL said it was investigating to determine the circumstances.