Lebanon Accuses Israel of War Crime After Journalist Killed in Southern Airstrike

Lebanon’s president and prime minister accused Israel on Thursday of committing a war crime after an Israeli airstrike killed a Lebanese journalist in the country’s south, where Israeli forces occupy several areas.

Rescuers and the reporter’s employer confirmed the death of Amal Khalil, a 42-year-old journalist who worked for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that targeting journalists, obstructing access to them by relief teams, and targeting their locations again after these teams arrive constitutes described war crimes.

Salam accused Israel of repeatedly targeting media workers in southern Lebanon in what he described as “an established approach.”

Lebanon would pursue the crimes before competent international forums, Salam added.

The Israeli military acknowledged that two journalists had been injured as a result of the strikes but said it “does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops.”