Lebanon: Funeral Held for 3 Journalists Killed in Israeli Strike

The funeral of three Lebanese journalists, including a veteran correspondent for Hezbollah's Al-Manar, was held in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The funeral took place in the rain, with hundreds of people paying tribute to Fatima Ftouhi (Al-Mayadeen), her brother Mohammad Ftouhi (cameraman), and Ali Shoeib (Al-Manar). The three journalists were killed in an airstrike that targeted their car in the Jezzine area of southern Lebanon. The Israeli army accused Shoeib of being a member of Hezbollah, operating under the cover of a journalist, without providing evidence. There has been no comment on the deaths of the Ftouhi siblings. The attack has been condemned by Lebanese authorities, Hezbollah and Iran, described as a “flagrant crime”. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that journalists should never be targeted in war zones, even if they have ties to involved parties. Since October 7, 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has recorded 210 deaths of journalists in the Gaza Strip and 11 in Lebanon. The conflict in Lebanon, which began on March 2 with attacks by Hezbollah against Israel, has caused the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and the displacement of more than one million.