On October 25, Israel Army deliberately targeted journalists in the residence housing them in south Lebanon, in Hasbaya, killing three & injuring others, by air strick on the chalet they were staying at while they were asleep.

• Three Journalists Killed: Ghassan Najjar, Mohamed Reda (Al Mayadeen TV), and Wissam Qassem (Al-Manar TV).
• The strike hit a guesthouse that housed over a dozen journalists from at least seven media outlets. Vehicles in the courtyard were clearly marked with "Press.
• No warnings was done.
• at least 18 journalits were in the house when the attack occurs, several were lighty injured.

Statements by Media Outlets: Al-Manar TV and Al Mayadeen TV released statements honoring their journalists who were killed in the attack.

Lebanese Information Minister's Statement: Lebanon's information minister condemned the attack, calling it intentional and describing it as a "war crime."

Witness Accounts:

• Al-Jadeed TV Footage: Showed extensive destruction of the building, with vehicles overturned and significant structural damage.
• MTV Lebanon Journalist Youmna Fawwaz: Stated that journalists were awakened by the blast, with fighter jets overhead, and described the site as a known media compound, marked as such.
• Al-Jadeed Reporter: Reported that all official parties had been informed of the location as a media residence.

Context and Background:

On October 23, Israel bombed Al-Mayadeen offices in Beirut, which had luckily been evacuated at the start of the war. According to AlMayadeen, the Media is "deliberately targeted repeatedly by Israel", In November 2023, israli army deliberately struck Al Mayadeen's crew in South Lebanon, killing two colleagues. On october 23, they struck an office used by Al Mayadeen.

Casulaties :

• Al-Mayadeen cameraman Ghassan Najjar,
• The channel’s broadcast engineer Mohammed Reda,
• Al-Manar cameraman Wissam Qassem.

List of statements in response to the attack:

Lebanese Press Editors' Syndicate: Condemned the attack as part of Israel's long record of targeting journalists, calling for global organizations to take immediate action against this repeated aggression.

Council of the Syndicate of Workers in Visual and Audio Media: Criticized the global silence over these attacks, urging international bodies and civil society to address these crimes against journalists.

Media Secretariat of the Lebanese People's Congress: Called the attack a war crime, claiming it reflects a deep animosity against free media and their role in exposing brutalities.

Al-Sharq TV and Al-Ghad News: Expressed solidarity with Al Mayadeen, condemning the attack as an assault on press freedom and the public's right to information.

Hezbollah's Media Relations Office and MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi: Described the attack as part of Israel's "terrorist record," demanding UNESCO and other international bodies intervene to protect journalists.

Lebanese Minister of Information Ziad Makary: Called the strike a "premeditated assassination" against journalists, vowing to file complaints with international bodies over this war crime.

MP Dr. Qassem Hashem: Asserted that the attack reflects a fear of the truth and journalism’s role in exposing injustices.

Lebanese Democratic Party: Called the attack a violation of international protections for journalists, accusing Israel of attempting to cover up the impact of its attacks.

Progressive Socialist Party: Praised the bravery of journalists and condemned Israel's consistent breaches of international law against media personnel.

Amal Movement: Urged the international community to halt Israel’s aggression, calling the attack a deliberate act of violence.

Free Patriotic Movement: Condemned the strike as an attack on press freedom, calling for UN action against Israel’s repeated crimes.

Syrian Social Nationalist Party: Asserted the strike was intended to prevent journalists from documenting Israeli actions, accusing Israel of defying humanitarian laws.

Palestinian Resistance Factions: Islamic Jihad and others condemned the attack, calling it a direct attempt to silence resistance media.

** Women Press Freedom statement ** WPF condemns the targeted attack by Israeli forces on a compound housing 18 journalists, including @yumnafawaz (Yumna Fawaz) Investigative Journalist / Filmmaker), in the early morning hours. This compound was recognized as a safe zone for the press, yet three journalists were killed in this assault. We are outraged by Israel's intentional targeting of journalists, which constitutes a war crime and a blatant violation of press freedom. We call on Israel to cease its aggression against journalists and to fully cooperate with the @IntlCrimCourt regarding potential war crimes. Journalists play a crucial role in documenting human rights abuses during wartime and must be safeguarded from harm.

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