April 23, 2026 | 09:26 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon injured a journalist and killed another after they were trapped under the rubble on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The Israeli military also hindered the rescue team from reaching the victims due to the ongoing gunfire, stated the Lebanese Ministry of Health, a senior military official, and press activists.
As reported by Al Arabiya, journalist Amal Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when the Israeli attack hit the vehicle in front of them.
They ran to a nearby house, which later also became a target of the Israeli attack, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, senior military officials, and press advocates.
"Lebanese rescuers were able to retrieve Faraj, who had suffered a head wound," said Elsy Moufarrej, head of the Lebanese Journalist Union.
When the rescue team returned to evacuate 43-year-old Khalil, the Israeli military dropped stun grenades, obstructing their access to the damaged building, said Moufarrej and senior military officials.
The health ministry stated that the Israeli military "prevented the completion of the humanitarian mission by firing stun grenades and live ammunition at the ambulance."
The rescue team was able to return to the site around four hours after the initial attack, said Moufarrej. Khalil was then pronounced dead.
As reported by NDTV, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar announced Khalil's death on their website.
While two people were killed in the initial attack on the car, as reported by Lebanese government media, the identities of the deceased have not been confirmed.
Lebanon's Information Minister, Paul Morcos, stated that he is following up on the incident with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army regarding the "seige of journalists and photographers by Israeli occupation forces in the town of At-Tiri."
On a US social media platform X, as cited by Anadolu, Morcos stated that "We strongly condemn this attack and hold Israel fully responsible for their safety, stressing the need to ensure their protection immediately and guarantee freedom of media work."
Separately, the head of the Lebanese Editors' Union, Joseph El Kosseifi, condemned the seige of journalists and photographers by Israel, holding Israel responsible for their deaths and injuries.
The attack occurred amid a ceasefire between the Israeli military and Lebanon and prompted criticism for targeting journalists
Israeli Claims
The Israeli military claimed to have identified two vehicles leaving a military structure used by the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon and crossing the "forward defense line." This is the term the Israeli military uses to refer to the boundary line of the southern Lebanon zone unilaterally occupied by Israeli forces.
Israel claimed that the vehicles "approached the troops in a manner that posed an immediate threat to their safety" and that the attack hit one of the vehicles, then a nearby building.
The Israeli military claimed not to have targeted journalists. In March, Israeli airstrikes killed three journalists in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military acknowledged that they targeted one journalist.
More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched attacks in response to a Hezbollah assault on March 2. However, Israel has been carrying out attacks nearly every day before March 2, despite a ceasefire since November 2024.
Israel invaded areas on the Lebanon border. They aimed to create a buffer zone to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks, which fired hundreds of rockets into Israel during the conflict, a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Read: Israel, Lebanon Agree to 10-Day Ceasefire, Trump Says
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