Lebanese Journalist Amal Khalil Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Southern Lebanon House
Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on a house in southern Lebanon where she had taken cover while reporting on the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war. Her body was only retrieved from the rubble hours later, according to rescue workers and official statements.
Details of the Tragic Incident
The daily Al-Akhbar newspaper confirmed that its reporter, Amal Khalil, died in the southern village of al-Tiri. Khalil had been covering the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group, which resumed in early March amid broader regional tensions. She sought refuge in the house after an earlier Israeli strike hit near the car she was traveling in with a colleague, Zeinab Faraj.
The Lebanese health ministry reported that the initial strike killed two people. A subsequent Israeli strike then targeted the house where Khalil and Faraj were sheltering. Rescue workers managed to reach Faraj, who was seriously wounded, and retrieve the bodies from the first strike, but they were forced to halt efforts to reach Khalil due to Israeli forces firing on them.
Delayed Rescue and International Outcry
Khalil remained trapped under debris for hours before the Lebanese army, civil defense, and the Lebanese Red Cross could access the scene. Her body was recovered shortly before midnight, at least six hours after the attack. Israel's military stated that individuals in the village had violated the ceasefire, endangering troops, and denied targeting journalists or obstructing rescue teams, adding that the incident is under review.
Lebanon's Information Minister Paul Morcos condemned the killing, stating, "Killing of journalists is a crime and a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law." This death occurred on the eve of the second round of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington, aimed at extending a ceasefire that began last Friday.
Background and Broader Impact
Amal Khalil, a native of southern Lebanon, had been reporting for Al-Akhbar since 2006. Her recent work focused on Israeli demolitions of Lebanese homes in villages where Israeli troops are now stationed. Her death brings the number of journalists killed in Lebanon this year to nine. Since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2, at least 2,300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, and over 1 million have been displaced.
International organizations have expressed outrage. Reporters Without Borders called for pressure on the Israeli army to allow Khalil's rescue, while the Committee to Protect Journalists warned that obstructing rescue efforts "may amount to a war crime." Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun urged the Lebanese Red Cross to coordinate with the army and U.N. peacekeepers for a swift rescue operation.
Context of Journalist Casualties in the Conflict
This incident follows other attacks on journalists in the region. In late March, an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed three journalists, including Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV, whom Israel accused of being an intelligence operative. Also killed were reporter Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed Ftouni of Al-Mayadeen TV. Days earlier, an airstrike in Beirut killed Mohammed Sherri, head of political programs at Al-Manar TV, and his wife.
The Associated Press contributed to this report, highlighting the ongoing risks faced by media personnel in conflict zones.
