Overview
- Three UN special rapporteurs on Thursday urged an independent international investigation after the March 28 strike that killed Al‑Manar’s Ali Shoaib and Al Mayadeen’s Fatima and Mohamad Ftouni in southern Lebanon.
- The experts said journalists working in war zones are civilians and that affiliation with partisan outlets does not make them fighters under international law.
- Israel’s justification drew fresh scrutiny after officials acknowledged the only cited proof was a doctored photo of Shoaib.
- The rapporteurs pressed Lebanon to preserve evidence and to invite an independent international probe, saying impunity has encouraged repeat abuses.
- Press‑freedom monitors warned of a wider pattern, with CPJ reporting Israel accounted for two‑thirds of journalist killings in 2024–25 and cautioning that Lebanon is becoming more dangerous for the press.