Hundreds of mourners gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday for the funeral of three Lebanese journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike the previous day, as Lebanese authorities condemned the attack as a war crime and violation of international law.
The victims were Ali Shoeib, a veteran correspondent for Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV, Fatima Ftouni of the pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen channel, and her brother Mohammed Ftouni, a freelance cameraman. They were traveling together in a clearly marked press vehicle near Jezzine in southern Lebanon when Israeli forces targeted them on Saturday.
The funeral took place in pouring rain at a temporary cemetery in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds significant influence. Many attendees held aloft posters of the journalists wearing their press body armor and holding cameras. The bodies of Shoeib and Fatima Ftouni were draped with their respective news channels' logos and adorned with flower bouquets.
They're killing the messengers of this war
Mourner — Sky News
Israel's military acknowledged carrying out the strike but attempted to justify the killings by claiming Shoeib was a member of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force who was passing information about Israeli troop movements. The military provided no evidence for this allegation and did not comment on the deaths of the Ftouni siblings.
Al Jazeera frames the killings as a clear war crime by Israeli forces. The outlet emphasizes Lebanese authorities' condemnation and presents the attack as part of Israel's broader targeting of journalists.