Investigations raise war crimes concerns over Israeli attack on Lebanese journalists
The journalists were attacked on 22 April in al-Tiri after they abandoned their vehicle and sought shelter in a building following earlier Israeli strikes, the rights groups said
Veteran Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed and photojournalist Zainab Faraj was critically injured in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon in April, according to investigations by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and The Legal Agenda.
The journalists were attacked on 22 April in al-Tiri after they abandoned their vehicle and sought shelter in a building following earlier Israeli strikes, the rights groups said.
The investigations concluded that the Israeli military intentionally targeted the journalists despite evidence that they were civilians, says Al Jazeera.
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Human Rights Watch said Israeli quadcopters appeared to have tracked the journalists before the building was bombed. It also said Israeli forces obstructed attempts to evacuate the journalists after the attack.
According to HRW, the Lebanese Red Cross requested an evacuation through the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), but Israeli forces allegedly fired a stun grenade, forcing paramedics to retreat, and later targeted an ambulance responding to the scene with small arms fire.
The Israeli military said the journalists' vehicle had departed from a "military structure used by Hezbollah" and denied preventing rescue teams from reaching the site.
"The incident underwent a preliminary review and relevant lessons were implemented accordingly... [the military] regrets any harm caused to journalists," the Israeli military said.
Human Rights Watch said the strikes "included apparently deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, which would make them war crimes".
Amnesty International said the incident was a "direct attack on civilians which should be investigated as a war crime".
The Legal Agenda said the military's actions "constitute war crimes and grave violations of international humanitarian law".
Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: "The Israeli military says it does not target journalists, but the facts and evidence show that it has repeatedly done so... Israeli forces' continued killing of journalists shows a brazen willingness to commit atrocities without any fear of consequences".
Kaiss also said: "Lebanon should put an end to impunity for Israel's abuses and other countries should press for accountability and use their leverage over Israeli authorities to prevent more crimes".
Heba Morayef of Amnesty International said: "The impunity enjoyed by Israeli forces for the killing of journalists and other civilians in Lebanon over the past three years has enabled the Israeli military to continue with its unlawful air strikes".
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the killing of journalists was part of an effort to "conceal the truth of its aggressive acts against Lebanon".
The incident has added to concerns over the safety of journalists covering the conflict. The Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that Israel was responsible for more than two-thirds of journalists killed globally in 2025, with attacks on journalists continuing into 2026.
