Lebanon journalist killing 'apparent war crime': groups

Rights groups said an Israeli attack in south Lebanon that killed reporter Amal Khalil and wounded another journalist was an apparent war crime.

The attack took place in Al-Tiri on April 22, days after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hezbollah. Khalil, a 42-year-old reporter for Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, and freelance camerawoman Zeinab Faraj had taken refuge in a building after an Israeli strike hit a vehicle travelling in front of theirs.

The building was then attacked. Faraj was rescued, but Lebanese authorities accused the Israeli army of obstructing efforts to save Khalil while she was still alive.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Lebanese rights group The Legal Agenda released separate findings on Thursday. Human Rights Watch said the Israeli strikes “included apparently deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, which would make them war crimes”. Amnesty described the incident as a “direct attack on civilians which should be investigated as a war crime”.

Both groups said the Israeli army “knew or should have known” the two journalists were civilians, noting that Israeli drones were present at the attack site. The Legal Agenda said its investigation found that the Israeli military's actions “constitute war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law”.

The Israeli army said at the time that it struck a vehicle “that had departed from a military structure used by Hezbollah” and that “subsequently, the structure from which the individuals had fled was also struck”. It denied preventing rescue teams from reaching the area.

Amnesty said the Israeli army told it that the incident had undergone a preliminary review, that lessons had been implemented and that it “regrets any harm caused to journalists”.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says 15 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel in Lebanon since October 2023.