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The three people killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon were television journalists, it has been confirmed.
The trio of Lebanese citizens were traveling by car when they were killed on Saturday.
Fatima Ftouni, Al Mayadeen reporter, and Ali Shoaib, Al Manar correspondent, was among those killed.
It is known that the third person who died was Ftouni’s brother, cameraman Mohammed Ftouni.
Fatima Ftouni has been reporting live from the south Lebanon just before the strike in the Jezzine area.
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Al Manar described Shoaib as an “icon of resistance reporting”, while Al Mayadeen said Fatima Ftouni was renowned for her courageous and objective reporting.
Sky special correspondent Alex Crawford said: “There has been strong condemnation of the attack on the three journalists. They were traveling along one of the main roads in southern Lebanon.
“Both senior correspondents are very well known in Lebanon.”
He added: “In addition to attacks on journalists today… Israeli airstrikes have also killed seven medical workers… in a series of attacks in southern Lebanon. There were also a number of children killed.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said attacks on journalists were war crimes.
He added: “We strongly condemn this aggression and demand that all international bodies take action to stop what is happening on our soil, and we extend our condolences to the families of the victims and the journalistic and media community in Lebanon.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the bombing as a “targeted attack” and claimed that Ali Shoaib was “a terrorist in the intelligence unit HezbollahRadwan Force”.
It added: “In addition, the terrorist was involved in incitement against IDF troops and Israeli civilians, using his position as a conduit to disseminate Hezbollah propaganda material.”
The military statement did not mention other victims.
In a statement, Iran-backed Hezbollah denied the IDF’s claims.
It said: “The enemy’s false claims are nothing more than an expression of his weakness and fragility, and a desperate attempt to avoid responsibility for these crimes.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described Al Manar as a “Hezbollah-affiliated” channel and Al Mayadeen as a “pro-Hezbollah” channel.
But it said that journalists “are not legitimate targets, regardless of which media they work for”.
Israeli airstrike that killed the three journalists
CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah, said it was conducting an investigation, adding: “We have seen a disturbing pattern in this war and in previous decades, of Israel accusing journalists of being active combatants and terrorists without providing any credible evidence.”
CPJ said at least four other journalists have been killed in the Middle East since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February.
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The IDF denies deliberately targeting journalists in conflicts such as the war in Gaza.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said his ministry and the foreign ministry were preparing to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council over Israel’s targeting of journalists.
In a statement, Morcos “emphasized that Lebanon will not consider such attacks as a matter of course and is committed to national unity”.
He also “called for the reaffirmation and enforcement of international protections for journalists and warned against any efforts to weaken these protections”.
Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the missile attack on Israel.
This is the first time Israel has faced an attack from Yemen since the start of the Iran conflict.
Houthi spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said they fired a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting what he described as “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel.
The Israeli military previously said it had intercepted a missile.
