Eight Journalists Injured by Israeli Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon

January 21, 2026 – Lebanon –

Eight journalists were wounded on January 21, 2026, when Israeli airstrikes struck several villages and towns in southern Lebanon while they were covering the unfolding bombardment, according to Lebanese health officials and state media. The incident occurred despite an existing ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah brokered in November 2024, highlighting persistent insecurity along the Lebanon–Israel border and ongoing risks for reporters in the region.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes targeted buildings in Qennarit, Jarjouaa, and Kfour, with additional strikes in Kharayeb and Ansar following evacuation warnings issued earlier in the day. According to the Ministry of Public Health’s Emergency Operations Center, 19 people were injured in the bombardment, including eight journalists who were on assignment documenting the impact of the attacks when they were hurt. Some of the wounded required hospital treatment and intensive care.

Local press reports specified that the journalists were injured while attempting to cover the strikes near frontline areas; the bombardment also destroyed or damaged multiple residential buildings. As of the latest accounts, the Israeli military had not publicly commented on the reports concerning media casualties.

The events in southern Lebanon reflect a broader pattern of danger faced by journalists covering conflicts involving Israeli forces. In past fighting on the Lebanon frontier, media workers have been seriously harmed or killed; for example, at least eight journalists were reported killed in separate Israeli bombardments since late 2023, and others were wounded by artillery and air strikes in that period. Press freedom monitors have repeatedly condemned attacks on journalists as part of wider concerns over press safety in conflict zones.

The January 2026 incident underscores the continued peril for journalists operating in high-intensity conflict environments, particularly along volatile borders where military operations, civilian displacement, and sporadic violence frequently intersect. International press freedom groups and rights advocates have called on all parties to ensure the protection of journalists as civilians under international humanitarian law, cautioning that repeated harm to reporters undermines both press freedom and civilians’ access to independent information.

Reference –

https://english.news.cn/20260122/93fac40254f84b39beeef3758b60d784/c.html

https://en.armradio.am/2026/01/22/israeli-airstrikes-injure-8-journalists-in-southern-lebanon/