The murder of journalists does not silence the cry of Palestinian oppression in the awakened consciousness of the world
CPJ expresses deep sadness over the tragic killing of the Al-Mayadeen TV crew in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The organization emphasizes the urgent need to protect media workers who bravely report on the ongoing conflict between Israel and various parties, facing significantly increased risks.
On November 21, correspondent Farah Omar and videographer Rabih Al Maamari, both Lebanese journalists from Al-Mayadeen TV, lost their lives due to an Israeli strike on Tayr Harfa in south Lebanon. This information comes from Al-Mayadeen, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and multiple news reports.
The journalists were covering the back-and-forth exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group in the Tayr Harfa/Al-Jebin triangle in southern Lebanon. Al-Mayadeen is associated with Hezbollah.
Farah Omar (born in 1998) and Rabih Al Maamari (born in 1979) were reporting live from Tayr Harfa, located about a mile from the Israeli border, just before the tragic incident.
CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, Sherif Mansour, expressed deep sorrow, stating, “Once again, journalists pay with their lives to cover the news in this war.” CPJ calls for an independent investigation into the journalists' killings, emphasizing that journalists, as civilians performing crucial work during crises, should not be targeted by warring parties.
Al-Mayadeen believes its journalists were deliberately targeted due to the network's pro-Palestinian stance. The channel's director, Ghassan Bin Jiddo, announced on air that an investigation would be pursued, suggesting that Israel's decision to close Al-Mayadeen TV in Occupied Palestine may be connected to the incident.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati asserted that the strike was an Israeli attempt to silence the media. Deliberately targeting journalists is considered a war crime, and international humanitarian law affords journalists the same protection as civilians.
Since October 7, CPJ has documented the deaths of numerous journalists, mostly Palestinian, amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. CPJ sought comment from the Israel Defense Forces' North America desk but did not receive an immediate response.
