An Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon on Saturday in what marks the first time Israel has acknowledged deliberately targeting a member of the press in the country. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it aimed the strike at Ali Hassan Shaib, an Al-Manar reporter it designated as a Hezbollah Radwan Force intelligence operative. Two other journalists died alongside him, and a follow-up strike hit medics responding to the scene.

The IDF said Shaib used his media role to expose IDF troop positions and maintained direct contact with Hezbollah operatives across southern Lebanon.

🔴ELIMINATED: Ali Hassan Shaib, a Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist who operated for years under the guise of a journalist for the “Al-Manar” network.

Shaib exposed IDF troop positions in southern Lebanon and maintained direct contact with Hezbollah operatives.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 28, 2026

To support its terrorism designation, the IDF circulated an image purportedly showing Shaib in military attire. When Fox News asked about the image, an IDF spokesperson said the military had no authentic original. “Unfortunately, there isn’t really a picture of it. It was photoshopped,” the spokesperson said.

After killing journalist Ali Shuaib, the IDF claimed he was a member of Hezbollah’s Radwan forces and circulated an image purportedly showing the reporter in military attire.

However, when asked about the image, the IDF told Fox News that there was no authentic original:… pic.twitter.com/QNZDbpRWDv

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 29, 2026

The IDF did not provide alternative evidence for its assertion that Shaib held an intelligence role. Hezbollah denied he was part of any intelligence unit.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the journalists as “civilians doing their professional duty” and called the strike “a brazen crime that violates all treaties and norms through which journalists enjoy international protection in war.”

دان رئيس الجمهورية العماد جوزاف عون استهداف إسرائيل الإعلاميين علي شعيب وفاطمة فتوني ومحمد فتوني قبل ظهر اليوم على طريق جزين، وقال :

“مرة اخرى يستبيح العدوان الإسرائيلي ابسط قواعد القوانين الدولية والقانون الدولي الإنساني وقوانين الحرب، باستهدافه مراسلين صحفيين، هم في النهاية…

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) March 28, 2026

There has been no evidence provided by the Israeli military for any of these claims. Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun and the Lebanese Minister of Information Paul Morcos denounced the killing of the journalists, with President Aoun calling the attack ‘a blatant crime that… https://t.co/J70fMUN0tR

— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) March 28, 2026

Also killed were Fatima Ftouni, a reporter for Al-Mayadeen, and her brother Mohammed Ftouni, a cameraman, Lebanon’s information minister Paul Morcos said. The IDF statement made no mention of either. Al-Manar is controlled by Hezbollah. Al-Mayadeen is editorially aligned with Iran’s regional allies.

Lebanon’s health ministry said medics responding to the journalists’ strike were directly targeted in a follow-up attack. More than 50 medical workers have been killed in Lebanon, with nine dying in the preceding 24 hours alone.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said at least three other reporters in Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza have been killed in Israeli or joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes since the Iran conflict began on February 28. Lebanese freelance journalist Hussain Hamood, also of Al-Manar, was killed in an Israeli airstrike the previous Wednesday, CPJ reported.

An Israeli strike in October 2024 killed two journalists from Al-Mayadeen and one from Al-Manar in the southern Lebanese town of Hasbaya. Saturday’s strike is the first time Israel has explicitly acknowledged a journalist was the intended target.

🔴ELIMINATED: For years, Ali Hassan Shaib operated as a Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist under the guise of a journalist.

Turns out the “press vest” was just a cover for terror. pic.twitter.com/24F7MJ3Yth

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 28, 2026