Investigative reporting: Israel targeted journalists in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, with American weapons

Investigations conducted by non-government, independent entities, including human rights organizations, found that the Israeli occupation used American weapons to target the headquarters of journalists in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, last October, and reports the course of the aggression and the testimonies of journalists who were in the targeted location.

An investigation by the British newspaper, The Guardian, confirmed that "Israel used American ammunition to target and kill three journalists and injure three others in an attack that took place on October 25 in southern Lebanon, which legal experts described as a possible war crime."

On October 25, an Israeli aircraft, at 3:19 am, fired two bombs at a chalet in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, which was hosting three journalists: Al-Mayadeen TV cameraman Ghassan Najjar and technician Mohammed Reda, in addition to Al-Manar TV cameraman Wissam Qassem.

The newspaper said that "the three were killed while they were sleeping in the attack, which also injured three other journalists from different media outlets who were staying nearby," stressing that there was no fighting in the area before or during the raid.

Israel deliberately targeted journalists’ headquarters with US weapons

The Guardian visited the site, interviewed the property owner and journalists who were present at the time of the attack, and analyzed fragments found at the site of the attack, geolocating Israeli surveillance equipment within range of the journalists’ locations.

Remnants of the munitions found at the site revealed that at least one of the weapons was a 500-pound MK-80 bomb guided by the US-made JDAM, a group that converts large dumb bombs into precision-guided weapons.

A piece of the Boeing JDAM tail fin was also found, as well as part of the internal control section that moves the fin. A cage symbol on the remains of the control section revealed that it was produced by Woodward, a Colorado-based aerospace company. “Neither Boeing nor Woodward responded to requests for comment.”

The fragments were verified by Trevor Poole, a former US Army bomb disposal expert, a second weapons expert at Omega Research, and a third weapons expert who was not authorised to speak to the media.

Based on these facts, the Guardian investigation stressed that “the use of at least one precision-guided bomb suggests that the Israeli military selected the chalet housing the three journalists as a target before the raid,” making Israel's killing of journalists deliberate and intentional.

It noted that “the presence of drones and watchtowers overlooking the clearly marked group of journalists over the previous 23 days makes it likely that Israeli forces were aware of their location and status as journalists.”

Deadliest period for journalists

In context, “Israel has killed six journalists in Lebanon and at least 122 in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, 2023 – the deadliest period for journalists in the past four decades,” according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

According to Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, “Israeli authorities are blatantly disregarding international legal obligations to protect journalists.”

“The Guardian’s investigation into what happened in southern Lebanon fits a pattern of killings and attacks by Israeli forces on journalists in Gaza,” Khan said.

“The targeted killings, the pretext that the attacks were targeting armed groups without providing any evidence to support this claim, and the failure to conduct thorough investigations all appear to be part of a deliberate strategy by the Israeli military to silence critical reporting of the war and abuses, and to obstruct documentation of potential international war crimes,” he added.

International Law strictly prohibits the killing of journalists.

The way Israel uses US weapons in urban areas, including Gaza and Beirut: