An Israeli airstrike hit guesthouses where journalists were staying in southeast Lebanon on Friday, killing three media staffers from two different news agencies according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
It was a rare airstrike on an area that has been used by the media as a base for covering the war. The airstrike turned buildings used by media outlets covering the war into rubble with cars marked “PRESS” being overturned and covered in dust and debris.
The Israeli army did not issue a warning prior to the strike, which it said targeted Hezbollah militant infrastructure. The military later said the strike was being reviewed. Several journalists have been killed since a near-daily exchange of fire began along the Lebanon-Israel border on October 8, 2023.
Lebanon’s health ministry says the total toll over the past year is over 2,500 killed and 12,000 wounded with 1.2 million Lebanese people reportedly driven from their homes, including 400,000 children, according to the United Nations.