Israeli strike kills three Lebanese reporters: al-Manar
According to a report by Lebanon’s al-Manar TV, three Lebanese journalists were killed in an Israeli attack on a vehicle in southern Lebanon.
Al-Manar reporter Ali Shaib and reporter Fatima Ftouni from al-Mayadeen publisher were killed when their vehicle was hit.
Lebanon’s information minister later said Ftouni’s brother, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni, was also killed in the attack.
Al-Manar is controlled by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, and al-Mayadeen is widely viewed as being editorially aligned with Iran’s allies and supporters in the region.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it had “eliminated” Shaib, whom it described as a “terrorist” in the Hezbollah intelligence unit, which reported on the location of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
He accused her of “inciting” against Israeli soldiers and civilians.
The army’s statement did not mention any other deaths and provided no evidence to support the claim that Shaib was a member of Hezbollah.
In his statement about X, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described them as “civilians fulfilling their professional duties.”
“This is a brazen crime that violates all agreements and norms that ensure journalists enjoy international protection in war,” he said.
Veal رئيس الجمهورية العماد جوزاف عون استهداف إسرائيل الإعلامين علي شعيب وفاطمة فتوني veمحمد فتوني قبل ظهر اليوم على طريق جزين, وقال:”مرة اخرى يستبيح العدوان الإسرائيلي ابسط قواعد القوانين God bless you and God bless you مراسلين صحفيين، هم في النهاية…— Presidency of Lebanon (@LBpresidency) March 28, 2026
Al-Manar called Shaib an “icon of resistance journalism.”
Shaib was known as one of al-Manar’s war correspondents, known for reporting closely from frontline areas along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Al-Mayadeen said Ftouni stood out with her courageous and objective reporting.
Fatuni was also known for his reporting from war-torn southern Lebanon.
“The problem with the enemy is that they want to kill the narrative,” said Al Mayadeen’s director in Beirut.
“The word can never be hit.”
The killings followed the death of Hussain Hamood, a Lebanese freelance journalist working for al-Manar who the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday.
🔴ELIMINATED: Ali Hassan Shaib operated as a Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist under the guise of a journalist for years. It turned out that the “press vest” was used only to cover terrorism. pic.twitter.com/24F7MJ3Yth— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 28, 2026
At least three more reporters have been killed in airstrikes in the Middle East since the Iran war began late last month, CPJ said Thursday.
The US military did not respond to a request for comment.
with DPA
