Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday killed journalist Amal Khalil and injured a photographer who was accompanying her, according to a senior Lebanese military official and her employer, the Al-Akhbar.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces regarding Khalil’s death. Earlier, the military said it had received reports that two journalists were injured during its strikes in the area.
According to Lebanese officials, rescue teams were able to retrieve the injured photographer, identified as Faraj, who had suffered a head wound. The information was confirmed by Elsy Moufarrej, who heads the Union of Journalists in Lebanon.
However, when rescuers attempted to return to assist Khalil, Israeli forces allegedly dropped a sound grenade near the damaged building, preventing immediate access to the site, Moufarrej and the military official said.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, condemned the incident, describing the targeting of journalists and the obstruction of rescue operations as potential war crimes.
“Lebanon will spare no effort in pursuing these crimes before the relevant international bodies,” Salam wrote in a statement on X.
The Lebanese Health Ministry also accused Israeli forces of obstructing emergency responders.
According to the ministry, the military prevented rescuers from completing their humanitarian mission by firing a sound grenade and live ammunition at an ambulance attempting to reach the site.
Rescue teams eventually returned to the location about four hours after the initial strike. After another three hours of searching through the rubble, they recovered Khalil’s body, according to the Lebanese military official.
The newspaper Al-Akhbar later confirmed the journalist’s death on its website.
In an earlier statement, the Israeli military denied preventing rescue teams from accessing the site.
Lebanese state media reported that two people were killed in the first strike on a vehicle in the area, though their identities were not immediately confirmed.
The Israeli military said it had identified two vehicles leaving a military structure used by Hezbollah and crossing what it described as the “forward defense line,” a term referring to the zone of southern Lebanon currently occupied by Israeli troops.
According to the military, the vehicles approached Israeli forces in a way that posed an immediate threat, prompting troops to strike one of the vehicles and a nearby building. The military added that it does not deliberately target journalists.
The incident follows earlier attacks on media workers in the region. In March, an Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli military stating at the time that one of the reporters had been the intended target.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified in recent months. Lebanese authorities say more than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched its offensive following a Hezbollah attack on March 2.
Israel has since seized a belt of territory along the border, saying the move is aimed at creating a buffer zone to protect northern Israeli communities from rocket attacks by Hezbollah.
