Hundreds mourn Lebanese journalists and cameraman killed in Israeli airstrike near Jezzine
Hundreds of mourners braved driving rain in Beirut on Sunday to bury two well-known Lebanese television journalists and a cameraman killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before. The attack occurred near the southern town of Jezzine, where the three were traveling together in a car.
Israel said it had specifically targeted Ali Choeib, a correspondent for Al-Manar, the Lebanese network owned by Hezbollah, claiming he was a member of the militant group’s military wing “disguised as a journalist.” Fatima Ftouni, a reporter for Al-Mayadeen, and her brother, cameraman Mohammad Ftouni, were also killed, though it was not immediately clear who Mohammad was working for at the time.
An Israeli military spokesman said Choeib had joined Hezbollah’s military wing in 2020 and had cooperated with the group since 2013, assisting with intelligence gathering and relaying information to the Radwan Force, an elite unit that has conducted cross-border attacks against Israel. Another Israeli military spokesman declined to comment on the Ftounis’ deaths. Hezbollah condemned the airstrike as a “deliberate and criminal targeting of journalists,” dismissing Israel’s claims.
The airstrike is part of renewed hostilities after Israel and the U.S. began attacking Iran in late February, prompting Hezbollah to resume rocket fire into Israel. Previous Israeli strikes had already killed journalists Hussain Hamood and Mohammed Sherri.
Choeib and Ftouni had publicly expressed support for Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States but also functions as a major political party in Lebanon. Legal experts note that supporting an armed group does not make someone a lawful target under international law.
At the funeral, held at Rawdat al-Imam al-Sadiq cemetery in southern Beirut, mourners dressed in black carried posters of the three, while wails and ululations filled the rain-soaked air. The bodies, wrapped in white shrouds and decorated with roses, were laid to rest as Quranic verses echoed through loudspeakers. Families and friends prayed and said their final farewells, overcome with grief.
Choeib had long been a familiar face on Al-Manar, reporting from southern Lebanon near the Israeli border. Many displaced families, following evacuation warnings, said they had relied on his reporting to stay connected with the areas they were forced to leave. “He was our eyes in the south,” said Caroline Kareem, a 32-year-old nurse attending the burial.
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