A Lebanese journalist killed by Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon was recovered from the rubble of a building late Wednesday night, hours after an attack in the village of at-Tiri.
- Amal Khalil, a reporter for Al-Akhbar, was killed after taking cover in a home during an initial Israeli strike.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim the strike targeted Hezbollah operatives violating a “forward defense line.”
- The death occurred on the eve of direct ceasefire talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington, DC.
Details of the Strike and Recovery
Amal Khalil was killed when a strike hit a house in at-Tiri. She had sought cover in the building after an earlier Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle positioned in front of the car she was traveling in with a colleague.
The Lebanese health ministry reported that the first strike killed two people. While rescue workers retrieved one colleague, Faraj, who suffered a head wound, the ministry claimed rescuers were subsequently targeted by Israeli fire, delaying the recovery of Khalil’s body until shortly before midnight.
IDF Justification and Response
The IDF stated that the operation began after troops identified two vehicles departing from a building used by Hezbollah in the at-Tiri area. Military officials asserted that terrorists crossed the “forward defense line” and posed an immediate threat.
After the vehicles were identified as violating the ceasefire, the Israeli Air Force struck one vehicle and the building to which the operatives fled. The IDF maintains it does not target journalists and stated that the area had been evacuated and the map of the defense line published.
Regarding the rescue efforts, the military denied preventing rescue forces from reaching the area, stating it acts to mitigate harm to journalists while ensuring troop security.
Political Fallout and Casualty Toll
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the killing and the alleged obstruction of relief efforts as “war crimes.” Salam stated that Lebanon would pursue these crimes before relevant international bodies.
The incident comes as officials prepare for a second round of talks in Washington, DC, to extend the ceasefire that took effect last Friday. Khalil had been covering the region since 2006, recently reporting on the demolition of Lebanese homes within the IDF-positioned buffer zone.
Khalil is the ninth journalist killed in Lebanon this year. Since the conflict erupted on March 2, Lebanese figures report at least 2,300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes. The IDF reports it has killed approximately 1,700 Hezbollah operatives, including members of the Radwan Force.
Other journalists killed this year include Ali Shoeib, whom the IDF identified as a Hezbollah intelligence operative, and Al-Mayadeen TV reporters Fatima and Mohammed Ftouni. Additionally, Mohammed Sherri, head of political programs at Al-Manar TV, was killed in a strike in central Beirut.
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