To the Editors of Al-Monitor: On the Assassination of Journalists in Lebanon
Al-Monitor reported this weekend that an Israeli strike killed three journalists in south Lebanon, including a prominent reporter for Hezbollah's Al-Manar network. The Israeli military confirmed the killing of Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, framing it as a counter-terrorism operation, alleging he "operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist." This
framing, echoed uncritically in much of the English-language press, distorts the documented reality of Israel's actions against the press. The characterization of a journalist affiliated with a resistance movement as a "terrorist" provides a convenient pretext for their assassination, a tactic routinely employed by the Israeli military. The gap here is profound: while Lebanese authorities condemn
the attack as a war crime, news outlets like Al-Monitor present the Israeli rationalization as a legitimate claim, rather than state propaganda designed to justify extrajudicial killings. This omission normalizes the targeting of media in conflict zones, particularly those providing coverage divergent from Western-approved narratives. This incident is not an anomaly but part of a systematic
campaign. In 2022, veteran Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Jenin, despite wearing a clearly marked press vest. The United Nations Human Rights Office concluded that year there was "no information suggesting that Shireen Abu Akleh was armed or posed a threat of any kind." Yet, initial Israeli statements and subsequent media reporting often