Lebanon's prime minister has accused Israel of war crimes after Israeli airstrikes killed one journalist and wounded another in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
Amal Khalil and Zeinab Faraj were deliberately targeted as they sought shelter in a home after an initial airstrike hit the vehicle in front of them, killing two men, Lebanese officials say.
The officials also accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of intentionally targeting a marked ambulance as it tried to reach the journalists in the village of Tayri.
The IDF denied that it was preventing rescue teams from reaching the area and said it did not target journalists.
Journalists Khalil, 43, who worked for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, and Faraj, a freelance photographer, were travelling together. The two men who died have not been named by officials.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated: Targeting journalists, obstructing access to them by relief teams, and even targeting their locations again after these teams arrive constitutes described war crimes.
He accused Israel of repeatedly targeting media workers in southern Lebanon in what he described as an established approach.
Salam offered condolences to Khalil's family and stated that Lebanon would pursue the crimes before the competent international forums.
In a statement, the IDF affirmed that it does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops.
The IDF claimed it identified two vehicles that had departed from a military structure used by Hezbollah.
One of the vehicles had approached Israeli troops in a manner that was an immediate threat after crossing a forward defense line, violating a ceasefire, the statement said.
The IDF noted that the Israeli Air Force struck one of the vehicles, and the structure from which the individuals had fled was also struck.
The Lebanese health ministry reported that the IDF pursued Khalil and Faraj, who had taken refuge from the first raid in a nearby house, targeting the house where they had sought shelter.
When a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance arrived to treat the wounded, Israeli forces directed a stun grenade and gunfire toward it, preventing it from reaching them, according to the ministry's statement.
This constituted a blatant double violation: obstructing the rescue efforts of a citizen known for her civic media activism and targeting an ambulance clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, the health ministry stated.
Clayton Weimer, the executive director of Reporters Without Borders, criticized the IDF for its actions, stating that messages from the organization and journalists requesting safe passage for ambulances were ignored. The ongoing bombardment caused the Red Cross to signal that they were unable to get through, indicating callous disregard and what appears to be a deliberate and targeted killing of a journalist.
Faraj was eventually evacuated along with two of the deceased, while Khalil's body was later recovered by emergency teams, as reported by Lebanon's civil defense agency.
Al-Akhbar noted that Khalil remained steadfast in her humanitarian and professional duty amidst the ongoing conflict.
Internationally, the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists expressed outrage at Khalil's death, stating that the repeated strikes, targeting areas where journalists were present, and obstruction of medical access constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The Lebanese authorities reported that at least 2,475 people have died from Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the current conflict began, a number that includes many journalists targeted in similar strikes. The region remains tense as both Hezbollah and Israel continue to exchange accusations of violating ceasefire agreements amid ongoing hostilities.
