Israel’s Killing of Lebanese Journalists with U.S. Bombs May Be a War Crime

November 25, 2024 – Lebanon/USA –

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has concluded that the Israeli airstrike on October 25, 2024, which killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, likely constitutes a war crime. The investigation, backed by forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts, reveals that the journalists were deliberately targeted using a U.S.-supplied Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bomb guidance kit.

The victims—Ghassan Najjar and Mohammad Reda from Al Mayadeen and Wissam Qassam from Al-Manar—were killed while resting in a marked press chalet in the village of Tayr Harfa. The building, situated far from any military activity, was hit by a precision-guided munition. HRW’s on-site inspection and analysis of bomb fragments confirmed the use of a JDAM system manufactured in the United States, raising serious questions about U.S. complicity through weapons transfers.

According to HRW’s Richard Weir, the accuracy of the strike and lack of nearby military targets strongly suggest that the journalists were intentionally attacked. Under international humanitarian law, journalists are considered civilians and are protected unless they are directly participating in hostilities. The apparent deliberate nature of the strike, combined with the use of advanced targeting technology, places Israel at serious risk of violating the laws of war.

The incident follows a disturbing trend of journalist casualties in the region. More than half a dozen journalists have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated, with additional fatalities in Gaza and the West Bank. Press freedom organizations have repeatedly condemned what they describe as a systematic targeting of media workers.

HRW has called for an independent investigation into the attack and urged the United States to suspend arms transfers to Israel pending a full review. The organization argues that Washington may be violating its legal obligations under international law by supplying weapons used in potential war crimes.

This deadly airstrike marks a grim milestone in the targeting of journalists and intensifies global calls for accountability and the protection of the press in conflict zones.

Reference – 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/25/israel-deliberately-killed-three-lebanon-journalists-human-rights-watch

https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/11/25/lebanon-us-arms-used-israeli-strike-journalists