Lebanese Journalist Amal Khalil Killed In Israeli Strike

The incident followed broader tensions tied to the US-Israeli confrontation with Iran and preceded a second round of talks in Washington to extend the ceasefire.

Amal Khalil is a veteran reporter from southern Lebanon who has covered conflicts in the region since 2006. Her recent reporting focused on Israeli demolitions in villages where troops have established positions inside Lebanese territory.

International press freedom groups condemned the incident. Reporters Without Borders urged pressure on Israel to allow safe access for rescuers; the Committee to Protect Journalists said the apparent targeting of journalists and obstruction of rescue efforts could constitute a war crime.

The broader Israel–Hezbollah conflict has left at least 2,300 people dead and displaced more than one million, according to Lebanese officials.

The article notes that Khalil’s death brings the number of journalists killed in Lebanon this year to nine, according to media watchdogs cited by the Associated Press.

Khalil's death comes ahead of a second round of talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington aimed at extending the ceasefire that took effect last week.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called for coordinated efforts involving the army, the Red Cross and UN peacekeepers to secure access to the site.

Lebanon’s information minister, Paul Morcos, condemned the killing, calling it a 'flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law.'

Israel's military said it was reviewing the incident, maintaining that individuals in the village had violated a ceasefire and posed a threat to its forces; it denied deliberately targeting journalists or obstructing rescue operations.

Khalil's body was recovered late at night, more than six hours after the strike, with Lebanese army units, civil defence teams and the Lebanese Red Cross assisting.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli fire in the area forced emergency responders to suspend their operations, delaying access to the site; Khalil was trapped under debris for hours before rescue teams reached her.

A second strike hit the building where Khalil and Faraj had taken refuge. Faraj was critically injured and pulled from the rubble, but Khalil remained trapped.

An Israeli airstrike struck a house in al-Tiri where Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj had sought refuge, after an earlier attack in the area killed two people, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

In late March, an Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon: Ali Shoeib of Al-Manar TV; Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed Ftouni, both with Al-Mayadeen TV. Israel said Shoeib was affiliated with Hezbollah intelligence, an allegation it did not substantiate.

Days earlier, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Mohammed Sherri, along with his wife.

Israel has seized a belt of territory at the border, saying it aims to create a buffer zone to shield northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.

The death toll on Wednesday rose to five people; Lebanese authorities said more than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the offensive.

In its earlier statement, the Israeli military denied it prevented rescue teams from reaching the area.

The Israeli military identified two vehicles that left a Hezbollah structure and crossed the forward defense line, saying it struck one vehicle and a nearby building and that it does not target journalists.

Al-Akhbar announced Khalil's death on its website.

Rescuers returned to the site about four hours after the initial strike; after another three hours of searching through the rubble, they retrieved Khalil's lifeless body.

The health ministry said Israel's military prevented the completion of the humanitarian mission by firing a sound grenade and live ammunition at the ambulance.

The Israeli military dropped a sound grenade, blocking rescuers' access to the damaged building.

Faraj, a freelance photographer, was rescued and reported to have a head wound; Khalil was unaccounted for at that moment.

The journalists ran into a nearby house, which was then targeted by an Israeli strike.

Khalil and Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them; two people were reported killed in the first strike on the car, per Lebanese state media.

A 10-day ceasefire to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah was announced.

An Israeli airstrike in March killed three journalists in southern Lebanon; the Israeli military said it had targeted one of the reporters.