Israel's bloody message to the press: Journalists targeted, three killed in strike on South Lebanon

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi
 
From the hospital, camera operator Hassan Hoteit shared how he emerged alive from the wreckage following an Israeli airstrike. 

While he was able to regain his breath and recount his experience, his colleagues—Mohammad Reda, Wissam Kassem, and Ghassan Najjar—who were just meters away, tragically became the latest victims in the ongoing violence against journalists, joining the ranks of killed reporters.

Seven media teams believed they were in a secure area when they rented rooms at a resort in Hasbaya to cover events in the eastern sector of southern Lebanon. 

However, at 3:30 a.m., the supposedly safe ceilings collapsed onto the heads of the journalists.

Initial investigations revealed that two Israeli warplanes targeted one of the chalets with strikes just one meter apart. 
 
Inside were Al Mayadeen camera operator Ghassan Najjar, broadcast engineer Mohammed Reda, and their guest, Al Manar's camera operator Wissam Kassem.

The devastation was widespread; the force of the strikes tossed journalistic equipment and vehicles several meters away. Even moving dozens of meters from the site of the strikes, one could see the extent of the destruction, raising concerns that the casualty toll could have been significantly higher.

This latest bloody message from Israel has broken all international laws, disregarding the helmets, vests, flags, and markings that indicated the presence of journalists. 

The attack forced the media teams to withdraw from Hasbaya temporarily.
 
This incident came just hours after an attack on the Al Mayadeen office in Beirut. It revived memories of the October 13, 2023, Israeli assault on journalists in Aalma El Chaeb, which killed colleague Issam Abdallah and injured others. 

The violence continued with the killing of journalists Farah Omar and Rabih Al Maamari from Al Mayadeen in Tyre Harfa.

In the face of Israel's brutality, the press remains committed to documenting these atrocities, often paying the ultimate price in their pursuit of truth.