Journalist killed in Lebanon

Lebanese reporter Amal Khalil was killed on April 22 after an Israeli strike hit a house in south Lebanon where she had taken cover while reporting. (abcnews.com) Khalil worked for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar and was in the village of al-Tiri, also reported as at-Tiri or Al Tayri, with photojournalist Zeinab Faraj. An earlier strike had hit near their car, and a second strike then hit the house where they sheltered. (abcnews.com) Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the first strike killed two people and that rescue workers later came under Israeli fire as they tried to reach Khalil. The Red Cross, civil defense and the Lebanese army recovered her body shortly before midnight, more than six hours after the strike, according to the Associated Press. (abcnews.com) The Committee to Protect Journalists said Khalil and Faraj were on assignment in Bint Jbeil district when the building they were sheltering in was directly hit. The group said rescue efforts were obstructed and said Khalil was last heard from at about 4:10 p.m. local time. (cpj.org) Lebanese officials said the journalists were pursued after the first strike and that the road into town was also hit, blocking ambulances from reaching them quickly. Al Jazeera, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry and National News Agency, reported that Faraj was pulled out alive and taken to a hospital in serious condition. (aljazeera.com) Israel’s military said people in the village had violated the ceasefire and endangered its troops. The military said it does not target journalists, denied blocking rescue teams, and said the incident was under review. (abcnews.com) Khalil had covered southern Lebanon since 2006, according to colleagues cited by the Associated Press, and her latest reporting focused on Israeli demolitions in villages where Israeli troops were positioned inside Lebanon. Her death came before a second round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington on extending a ceasefire that had taken effect the previous Friday. (abcnews.com) Her killing followed other recent attacks on media workers in Lebanon. Al Jazeera reported that three journalists were killed in March when a clearly marked press vehicle was hit in southern Lebanon, and CPJ has documented multiple journalist deaths in Lebanon during the 2026 fighting. (aljazeera.com, cpj.org) Lebanon’s Information Minister Paul Morcos called the attack on Khalil and Faraj a crime and a violation of international law. By late April 22, the immediate question had shifted from rescue to accountability after Khalil was found dead under the rubble. (abcnews.com, cpj.org)