Amal Khalil is fourth media worker slain by Israel in Lebanon since March, says Lebanese government.
Tayri, Southern Lebanon – April 23, 2026 – Lebanon’s prime minister has accused Israel of war crimes after an airstrike in the south of the country on Wednesday killed one journalist and seriously wounded another, according to official Lebanese sources.
Amal Khalil, a journalist for Lebanon’s Al Akhbar newspaper, was killed while carrying out her journalistic work, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported. She is the fourth media worker slain by Israel in Lebanon since March. The second journalist was identified by Lebanese authorities as Zeinab Faraj, a freelance photojournalist. Al Akhbar is a left-leaning, pro-Hezbollah newspaper.
Strike During Fragile Ceasefire
The two journalists had taken shelter during a series of strikes in the town of Tayri in southern Lebanon when the building they were in was hit. Lebanese authorities also accused Israeli forces of attempting to prevent emergency workers from rescuing them. According to NNA, Red Cross workers took Faraj to a hospital under “hostile gunfire.”
The strikes also killed several other people, NNA reported.
“Targeting journalists and obstructing the access of rescue teams to them, and then the renewed targeting of those teams after they’d arrived, constitute described war crimes,” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam posted on X (formerly Twitter).
He said Israeli attacks on media workers were no longer “isolated incidents” but “an established method which we condemn.”
Israel’s Response
The Israeli military acknowledged that two journalists had been injured as a result of the strikes but said it “does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops.”
It insisted it had not prevented teams from accessing the area and said the details surrounding the incident were under review.
The military said its forces in southern Lebanon saw two vehicles coming from a “military structure” it says was used by Hezbollah. It claimed “terrorists” in the vehicles approached the forces in a threatening manner, prompting the military to attack one vehicle and a building from which individuals had fled.
CNN cannot independently verify either the Lebanese or Israeli accounts.
A Fragile Truce
The airstrikes occurred during a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, aimed at pausing fighting with Iran-backed Hezbollah, that has been in place since last Friday. A second round of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, according to an Israeli official and a US State Department official.
International Outcry
Israel’s attacks on Wednesday prompted an outcry from groups including the United Nations and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
“CPJ holds Israeli forces responsible for the endangerment of Amal Khalil’s life and the injuries Zeinab Faraj sustained after the targeted strike on their location,” CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said on Wednesday.
According to the CPJ, Israel was responsible for two-thirds of all journalist and media worker killings in 2025.
‘She Loved the People’
One friend described Khalil as a passionate person who “loved the people” of Lebanon.
“She had a sweet heart, she loved the people and loved the animals,” Mohammed Habli, a 20-year-old animal rescuer, told CNN. “We used to rescue animals together. Ever since the war started, I hadn’t seen Amal. But we used to speak.”
“Amal was like a mother to me,” he added. “I feel like I’m dreaming and I will wake up… How did Amal leave me? How did she leave the people who love her?”
