Lebanon says Israeli strike killed 3 media workers

BEIRUT

A policeman checks a destroyed vehicle, at the site where an Israeli airstrike hit a compound housing journalists, killing three media staffers from two different news agencies according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency, in Hasbaya village, southeast Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on a residence housing media workers killed two journalists and a broadcast engineer on Friday, in an attack the information minister branded a "war crime."

Pro-Iran Lebanese television channel Al Mayadeen stated that a cameraman and broadcast engineer were killed in the strike on a journalists' residence in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon. Another TV outlet, Al-Manar, run by Hezbollah, reported that one of its video journalists was also killed in the attack on a bungalow rented by several media organizations covering the Israel-Hezbollah war.

"The Israeli enemy waited for the journalists' nighttime break to betray them in their sleep," Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a post on X.

"This is an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with prior planning and design, as there were 18 journalists there representing seven media institutions. This is a war crime."

Journalists from other media organizations, including Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed, Sky News Arabic, and Al Jazeera English, were also resting nearby when the strike hit overnight.

Israel has not commented on the strike, which, according to Lebanon's health ministry, also wounded three other individuals.

The area where the journalists were located is outside Hezbollah's traditional strongholds. Israel has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon since late last month, aiming to secure its northern border after nearly a year of cross-border fire from the Iran-backed armed group.

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the deadliest in its history. After nearly a year of war in Gaza triggered by that attack, Israel expanded its focus to Lebanon, launching a massive bombing campaign targeting mainly Hezbollah strongholds and deploying ground troops on Sept. 30.

The war in Lebanon has resulted in at least 1,580 deaths, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.

Israel's military reported on Friday that it had struck more than 200 militant targets in Lebanon over the past day and announced the deaths of five soldiers in fighting in southern Lebanon.

 Gaza strikes 

In Gaza, the civil defense agency reported that Israeli airstrikes hit two homes at dawn on Friday in Khan Yunis, the Palestinian territory's main southern city. According to agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal, 14 people were killed in a strike on the Al-Fara family's home, and another six were killed in a separate raid.

In northern Gaza, the Israeli military said on Friday that dozens of militants were killed around Jabalia, where a major assault was launched earlier this month to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Bassal mentioned that "more than 770 people have been killed" in northern Gaza in the 19 days since the Israeli operation began.

The war in Gaza commenced with Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. The militants also took 251 people hostage, 97 of whom are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has said are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,847 people, the majority of whom are civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, information that the U.N. considers reliable.

Multiple attempts to halt the war have failed, though the U.S., Israel's key backer, has expressed hope that the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week could pave the way for a deal.

A senior Hamas official told AFP that a delegation from the group's Doha-based leadership discussed "ideas and proposals" related to a Gaza truce with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Thursday.

"Hamas has expressed readiness to stop the fighting, but Israel must commit to a ceasefire, withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow the return of displaced people, agree to a serious prisoner exchange deal, and permit the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza," the official mentioned.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he welcomed Egypt's readiness to mediate a deal "for the release of the hostages" held by militants in Gaza.

Netanyahu directed the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency to depart for Qatar on Sunday to "advance a series of initiatives that are on the agenda," his office reported.

Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have long sought to mediate a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.

 'Time is running out' 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatar's leaders in Doha on Thursday on his 11th trip to the region since the onset of the Gaza war. During this trip, which comes less than two weeks before U.S. elections, Blinken indicated that mediators would explore new options.

Israeli and U.S. officials, as well as some analysts, noted that Sinwar had been a key obstacle to a deal that would secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Critics of Netanyahu have frequently accused him of obstructing negotiations for a truce and hostage release.

An Israeli group representing families of hostages urged Netanyahu and Hamas to reach an agreement to free the remaining captives. "Time is running out," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated.

On Thursday, supporters of the hostages marched outside Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, demanding action for their release.

Blinken arrived late Thursday in London, where a U.S. official indicated he would meet on Friday with the foreign ministers of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

The conversations are expected to focus on the persistent humanitarian crisis and the need for coordinated international efforts to address the fallout from the wars in both regions.

With tensions high and casualties mounting, the international community remains watchful, hoping for resolutions that address the urgent needs of affected civilians while working towards a lasting peace in the region.