Wounded Lebanese journalist recounts hours of agony when Israeli strike killed colleague

Lebanese Journalist Recounts Harrowing Experience Following Israeli Strike That Killed Colleague

A Lebanese journalist wounded in an Israeli airstrike that killed her colleague described hours of agonizing wait for rescue in southern Lebanon, offering a firsthand account of the incident that occurred days after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

Speaking from her hospital bed in Beirut on Friday, Zeinab Faraj, a freelance photographer and video journalist, recalled the events that unfolded on Wednesday when she and Amal Khalil, a veteran correspondent for the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, were on assignment in the village of al-Tiri, approximately 8 kilometers from the Israeli border.

The two journalists were traveling behind a relative’s vehicle to document the post-ceasefire situation when an Israeli strike hit the car ahead of them. After pulling over and exiting their vehicle, they took cover by the roadside while an Israeli drone hovered overhead. About an hour later, a second strike targeted Khalil’s car next to where they were sheltering.

“Amal was crawling, she was wounded — her nose and head and shoulder and leg,” Faraj said, speaking with difficulty through her swollen and bruised face. She added that Khalil had also suffered burn wounds when their targeted vehicle caught fire nearby.

The wounded journalists managed to seek refuge inside a shop behind them, where they contacted their families and colleagues. According to Faraj, Khalil attempted to reassure her family despite her serious injuries. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Red Cross, Lebanese army, United Nations peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), and Israeli military engaged in negotiations to secure safe passage for the journalists’ evacuation.

As time passed, Faraj noticed Khalil’s condition deteriorating. “When I said I wanted to go to sleep, Amal came closer and hugged me and told me, ‘Zeinab, don’t leave me alone,'” she recalled. “I realized that Amal was not in good condition. The color of her face had changed and I realized that she had some internal bleeding, too.”

A third strike then hit the building where they were sheltering. The impact threw Faraj outside while Khalil remained trapped within. Slipping in and out of consciousness, Faraj believed her father had arrived to rescue her.

Rescue teams eventually reached the scene and evacuated Faraj along with the bodies of two people killed in the initial strike. However, Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli forces opened fire on a Red Cross ambulance attempting to rescue Khalil, forcing it to retreat. The Israeli military denied targeting journalists or preventing rescue teams from accessing the area, claiming individuals in the village had violated the ceasefire and endangered Israeli troops. The military stated the incident is under review.

Faraj, who had lost consciousness during the evacuation, only learned hours later that Khalil had not been rescued with her. Nearly midnight, after Lebanese authorities received clearance, they recovered Khalil’s body from the rubble.

“If they had gotten to her a bit sooner, Amal would be here today,” Faraj believes.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of ongoing tensions despite the ceasefire that began five days earlier. The latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict began on March 2 when the militant group fired missiles across the border, prompting Israel to launch widespread bombardment and a ground invasion of Lebanon. Although a truce is now in effect, Israeli forces continue to occupy a strip extending approximately 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, describing it as a buffer zone necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Faraj contends the journalists were deliberately targeted. Khalil had previously reported receiving threatening messages from an Israeli number during her coverage of earlier conflicts in southern Lebanon. Days before her death, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee reposted a video on X showing Khalil rescuing a cat from a destroyed building, referring to Al-Akhbar as “terrorist media speaking on behalf of Hezbollah” due to the newspaper’s pro-Hezbollah editorial stance.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned Adraee’s post as “incitement” and emphasized that journalists are protected under international humanitarian law regardless of their media outlet’s affiliation, provided they do not directly participate in hostilities. The organization has called for an international investigation into Khalil’s death.

According to Lebanon’s information ministry, nine journalists have been killed by Israeli strikes since March 2. The ongoing conflict has claimed nearly 2,500 lives in Lebanon, including 277 women, 177 children, and 100 health workers. On the Israeli side, fifteen soldiers and three civilians have been killed.