War in Lebanon: journalists must be protected and allowed to work freely
Since the war in Lebanon spread to several new regions of the country on 23 September, journalists have faced increasing danger and harassment. Some have narrowly escaped Israeli strikes and been forced to evacuate their homes, traumatized by a war they still continue to cover. Intimidation and acts of violence against reporters are also becoming more common within Lebanese society. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stands in solidarity with journalists in Lebanon and calls for their protection.
For the past year, journalists have been risking their lives on the frontline of the war between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where three reporters were killed by Israeli strikes while they were working between October and November 2023. Yet since 23 September 2024, when Israeli bombardments intensified, the safety of journalists has been threatened throughout all of Lebanon.
Media professionals are among the masses of displaced people from areas hit by the Israeli army. According to testimonies gathered by RSF, at least 30 journalists had to evacuate their homes in zones that have been targeted by the Israeli army for several weeks — notably in southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley in the east of the country, and Dahye, a southern suburb of the capital, Beirut. In the search for shelter, often found in schools, many of these journalists have been forced to abandon their belongings and professional equipment. RSF discovered the case of one such journalist whose house was recently destroyed by Israeli bombardments.
“At a time when we’re paying homage to Issam Abdallah — killed a year ago in southern Lebanon by an Israeli strike — and calling for justice in the face of impunity for this crime, our fellow journalists in Lebanon are increasingly exposed to Israeli bombardments as they carry out their work. They must be protected. RSF also calls on the Lebanese authorities to do everything in their power to ensure that journalists can continue to work freely and safely to cover the war, and that they do not fall victim to violence, intimidation, and administrative obstacles. In no way does the context of war justify attacks on the journalists covering it.
"We know where you are": threats from Israel and harassment in Lebanon
As the war has intensified, so has the intimidation against journalists covering the conflict. In September, war reporter for the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, Amal Khalil, received death threats from an Israeli number. A message notification on her phone screen read, "We know where you are and we will reach you when the time comes." The end of the message was even more chilling: "I suggest you flee to Qatar or somewhere else if you want to keep your head connected to your shoulders."
Journalists are also becoming targets of intimidation and violence coming from within Lebanese society. On 2 October, Belgian journalists Robin Ramaekers and Stijn De Smet were attacked by an armed mob while reporting on the consequences of a protest in Beirut for Flemish TV channel VTM. Both journalists were subsequently hospitalized. On 8 October, in the Saïda district, a TV crew from the Italian channel Rai 3 was attacked and their equipment was stolen near the city of Sidon. The TV crew's driver died of a cardiac arrest following the attack.
The weight of Israel’s unpunished crimes
As these media professionals watch the worst-case scenario unfold before their eyes — a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah — impunity for the crimes against journalists committed by the Israeli army continues to threaten the entire profession. Although several complaints against Israel have been lodged with the International Criminal Court (ICC), including four filed by RSF, the murders of three journalists have yet to be independently investigated.
On 13 October 2023, mere days after the start of the current conflict in Gaza, Israeli forces in southern Lebanon targeted and killed Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah and wounded six other journalists, according to six investigations including one by RSF. Two other journalists, Farah Omar and Rabih Maamari, who work for Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese channel close to Hezbollah, were killed by strikes in November 2023.
