Israel kills three journalists in south Lebanon after strike on press vehicle
The team of journalists was traveling along a forested road with very little traffic, due to Israel’s forced displacement of residents, in a vehicle clearly marked ‘PRESS’
News Desk
MAR 28, 2026
The Israeli army killed veteran Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, Al-Mayadeen journalist Fatima Ftouni, and her brother, photojournalist Mohammad Ftouni, during a double-tap drone strike on a press vehicle in southern Lebanon on 28 March.
The Israeli attack wiped out the entire media team traveling together to deliver coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon’s south. Media officials confirmed the team was inside a clearly marked “PRESS” vehicle when it was bombed.
The area was then targeted again with a second strike after people attempted to provide aid. The Israeli military broadcast video of the attack, claiming that Shoeib was a “terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.”
"Once again, the Israeli aggression violates the most basic rules of international law, international humanitarian law, and the laws of war, by targeting journalists, who are ultimately civilians performing a professional duty," Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement on Saturday.
"This is a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars," he added.
Al-Manar TV mourned Shoeib, highlighting that he reported on events in southern Lebanon from before the 2000 liberation, through the July 2006 war, and the ongoing conflict. He also covered events in Syria and Iraq as part of his field reporting career.
“The knight of resistance media has dismounted after a long struggle, and Al-Manar’s lens and platform have once again bled the most precious blood … Al-Manar mourns him as a true media front, a support and companion to generations of resistance fighters, and a teacher and role model for generations of journalists,” the statement from the Lebanese broadcaster reads.
Shoeib was widely described as a “one-man army,” known for his bold frontline reporting and frequent direct confrontations with Israeli soldiers along the border, where he delivered real-time coverage of developments on the ground.
Al-Mayadeen mourned the killing of Ftouni by emphasizing that she “had been in the field covering the ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon, doing the work she was known and loved for, bringing the reality of her people's resistance to audiences around the world.”
"We pledge to her soul that we will remain committed to the message of resistance, freedom, and sovereignty,” Rony Alfa, the director of Al-Mayadeen’s office in Lebanon, said, adding that Fatima was “a heroine of Al-Mayadeen, the word, and Arab and international media.”
Earlier in March, Ftouni lost seven members of her family in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Toul, but continued reporting from high-risk areas regardless.
Earlier this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) listed Israel as the leading cause of death for journalists worldwide for the third consecutive year. In Lebanon alone, the Israeli army has killed at least 22 journalists, often claiming they were “terrorists,” an unsubstantiated allegation that is
widely echoed across western media outlets.
Source: The Cradle (TheCradleMedia)
News Desk
MAR 28, 2026
The Israeli army killed veteran Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, Al-Mayadeen journalist Fatima Ftouni, and her brother, photojournalist Mohammad Ftouni, during a double-tap drone strike on a press vehicle in southern Lebanon on 28 March.
The Israeli attack wiped out the entire media team traveling together to deliver coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon’s south. Media officials confirmed the team was inside a clearly marked “PRESS” vehicle when it was bombed.
The area was then targeted again with a second strike after people attempted to provide aid. The Israeli military broadcast video of the attack, claiming that Shoeib was a “terrorist in the intelligence unit of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.”
"Once again, the Israeli aggression violates the most basic rules of international law, international humanitarian law, and the laws of war, by targeting journalists, who are ultimately civilians performing a professional duty," Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement on Saturday.
"This is a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars," he added.
Al-Manar TV mourned Shoeib, highlighting that he reported on events in southern Lebanon from before the 2000 liberation, through the July 2006 war, and the ongoing conflict. He also covered events in Syria and Iraq as part of his field reporting career.
“The knight of resistance media has dismounted after a long struggle, and Al-Manar’s lens and platform have once again bled the most precious blood … Al-Manar mourns him as a true media front, a support and companion to generations of resistance fighters, and a teacher and role model for generations of journalists,” the statement from the Lebanese broadcaster reads.
Shoeib was widely described as a “one-man army,” known for his bold frontline reporting and frequent direct confrontations with Israeli soldiers along the border, where he delivered real-time coverage of developments on the ground.
Al-Mayadeen mourned the killing of Ftouni by emphasizing that she “had been in the field covering the ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon, doing the work she was known and loved for, bringing the reality of her people's resistance to audiences around the world.”
"We pledge to her soul that we will remain committed to the message of resistance, freedom, and sovereignty,” Rony Alfa, the director of Al-Mayadeen’s office in Lebanon, said, adding that Fatima was “a heroine of Al-Mayadeen, the word, and Arab and international media.”
Earlier in March, Ftouni lost seven members of her family in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese village of Toul, but continued reporting from high-risk areas regardless.
Earlier this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) listed Israel as the leading cause of death for journalists worldwide for the third consecutive year. In Lebanon alone, the Israeli army has killed at least 22 journalists, often claiming they were “terrorists,” an unsubstantiated allegation that is
widely echoed across western media outlets.
Source: The Cradle (TheCradleMedia)
