"A crime aimed at silencing the truth;" with these words journalistic bodies, officials, and political parties denounced the crime against journalists in Hasbayya, South Lebanon, earlier today.

On Friday dawn, "Israel" launched a deliberate airstrike with two missiles targeting the residence of journalists and press crews in Hasbayya, South Lebanon. Al Mayadeen's cameraman Ghassan Najjar and broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda, as well as Al Manar's cameraman Wissam Qassem were martyred in the Israeli aggression.

The attack came in yet another violation of international law and a blatant assault on the freedom of the press, as "Israel" scurries to hide the losses it continues to suffer and the crimes it keeps committing across Lebanon and Gaza.

Condemnations poured in soon after the news, with Resistance movements, officials, and press bodies expressing their deep condolences and denunciation of the recurrent Israeli crimes.

Al Mayadeen announces the martyrdom of broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda.

Reda was killed alongside his colleague Ghassan Najjar in the Israeli occupation's airstrike targetting journalists' residence in Hasbayya, South #Lebanon.

The aggression killed 3 journalists in total.… pic.twitter.com/ZYTjGTnBU0

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 25, 2024

Al Mayadeen announces the martyrdom of yet another colleague.

Our colleague and cameraman Ghassan Najjar was martyred today in a deliberate Israeli strike at journalists' residence in Hasbayya, South #Lebanon.

He was a father who risked his life for a just cause, dedicated to… pic.twitter.com/BYEej4dn5t

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 25, 2024

The Lebanese Press Editors' Syndicate

The Lebanese Press Editors' Syndicate condemned the Israeli massacre, stressing that this would not be the first and only time "Israel" targets journalists despite clear indications of the martyrs being press members, recalling the martyrdom of six other journalists earlier during the war. 

Although condemnation is insufficient, the Syndicate added in its statement, it expressed its anger and outrage at this ongoing crime perpetrated by the enemy without any accountability, calling on the Human Rights Council, UNESCO, the International Federation of Journalists, the General Union of Arab Journalists, and international and Arab human rights organizations to take immediate action against "Israel's" continued targeting of the press. 

Council of the Syndicate of Workers in Visual and Audio Media

The Council of the Syndicate of Workers in Visual and Audio Media echoed the Lebanese Press Editors' Syndicate's statement, slamming "the deafening global silence regarding the ongoing Israeli crimes against people and property, without any deterrent or attentive ears," as well as the slumber and silence of countries, human rights institutions, and civil society that have long claimed to be bastions of defense for rights and freedoms.

Media Secretariat of the Lebanese People's Congress

The Media Secretariat of the Lebanese People's Congress blasted the aggression as a war crime against humanity, adding it to the enemy's criminal archive.

It emphasized that the targeting of journalists in South Lebanon demonstrates "the deep hatred that the Zionist terrorists harbor against the role played by free media in revealing the truth of the brutal massacres committed by the Zionist enemy, as well as the resilience and bravery of the Lebanese and Palestinian Resistance in facing this terrorist enemy, the most brutal and vile criminals history has ever seen."

Syndicate of Actors in Lebanon

Meanwhile, the head of the Syndicate of Actors in Lebanon, Nehmeh Badawi, extended his condolences to Al Mayadeen on behalf of the actors, saying, "May mercy be upon the souls of the martyrs of Al Mayadeen and the media. You [Al Mayadeen] will remain the channel that conveys the truth and reality as it is. A thousand greetings and peace to you."

Al-Sharq TV and Al-Ghad News

The Board of Directors of Al-Sharq TV and Al-Ghad News announced its deep solidarity with Al Mayadeen following the Zionist attack on their office in Beirut.

"This aggression represents a tragic chapter in the long history of assaults on free media, particularly targeting Al Mayadeen, which has been a focus of censorship, persecution, and the assassination of some of its members since its establishment in 2012, due to its steadfast commitment to conveying the truth and defending the just causes of peoples."

The statement further reiterated that the freedom of the press is not just a right; it is a fundamental pillar of any free society. Therefore, any attack on media outlets is an assault on the people's right to knowledge and individuals' ability to express themselves and confront injustice.

Officials, political parties

Hezbollah's Media Relations Office strongly condemned the deliberate Zionist targeting of the journalists' residence in Hasbayya, adding it to the entity's horrifying and terrorist record of targeting journalists and media outlets in Gaza and Lebanon. 

"We are fully confident that this crime will not deter free and honorable channels from covering its ongoing aggression against Lebanon and its people and from conveying the heroism of the Resistance fighters and the resilience of the people defending their land and villages."

Hezbollah MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi slammed the Israeli crime, saying, "Where are UNESCO, the International Federation of Journalists, the Union of Arab Journalists, and human rights institutions in the face of the enemy's criminal practices?"

He further demanded that they all take immediate action to protect the media community and impose sanctions on the perpetrators.

The political advisor to Hezbollah's Secretary-General, former MP Hussein al-Moussawi, stated that "the targeting of journalists while they slept in their residence in Hasbaya, which resulted in the martyrdom of three of them, along with the destruction of Al Mayadeen’s office in Beirut, represents war crimes that add to the record of the Zionist entity. From the very beginning of its occupation of Palestine’s sacred land, it has declared itself an enemy of light and truth in this world."

He emphasized that "Al Mayadeen stands as a bright beacon, dispelling the darkness and injustice perpetrated by the enemies of humanity today."

Lebanese Minister of Information Ziad Makary said, "The Israeli enemy awaited the journalists' nightly break to ambush them in their sleep, as they have not ceased covering news on the ground and exposing its documented crimes over the past months."

"This is an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with premeditated intent, as there were 18 journalists from 7 media institutions present at the location. This is a war crime," he asserted.

In a phone call with the chairman of the Board of Directors, Ghassan ben Jeddou, Makary affirmed that the Ministry will contact UNESCO and relevant international and UN organizations to file official complaints about Israeli aggression against journalists as a war crime.

Lebanese National Defense Minister Maurice Sleem affirmed that the Israeli enemy, through its crime, wishes to leave no witnesses to its atrocities. 

Related News

Lebanese Army Chief: No turning back; army stays firm in the South

Damages in northern settlements surpass $1.3 billion: Israeli media

He reiterated "the validity and justice of the Lebanese call to the international community to put an end to this barbarism that does not distinguish between a child and an elderly person, between the disabled and the healthy, between a mother and her children."

Additionally, a member of the Development and Liberation bloc, MP Dr. Qassem Hashem, stated that "what the Zionist enemy added to its crimes this morning reveals its fear of the image and the word that expose its brutality without any deterrent from global conscience."

He mourned "the martyrs of the land who fell during a moment of respite" and prayed for the recovery of the wounded, affirming that "committed journalism to the issues of its nation and people is a partner in defending the truth and the land for dignity and justice."

The Lebanese Grand Jaafari Mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, expressed his condolences to Al Mayadeen and Al Manar channels, as well as to all journalists fighting on the media front for "the blood-stained truth that reflects the causes of humanity and nations."

He said: "We affirm that the true battalions of humanity are led by the free media, fighting for justice, and undeterred by financial empires or the crimes of powerful actors who, under the Statue of Liberty in New York, profess to champion freedom."

Lebanese Democratic Party

The Media Directorate of the Lebanese Democratic Party affirmed that the Israeli aggression is a blatant crime witnessed by the entire world, violating all international agreements and resolutions that guarantee the protection of journalists, correspondents, and photographers during armed conflicts.

It noted that "the enemy's ongoing attacks on media and press since the beginning of the war in Gaza and Lebanon aim to cover up the horrors of its crimes and brutality, obscuring the facts while also concealing the losses it suffers in South Lebanon at the hands of the brave Resistance fighters, not to mention its failure to achieve rapid ground advancements as planned."

Progressive Socialist Party

The Progressive Socialist Party saluted the journalists and hailed the souls of the martyrs of the press throughout the aggression against Lebanon and Gaza, including those who were recently killed in Hasbayya. "Their sacrifices serve as additional evidence of the significant challenges faced by the media community," the statement read, highlighting the enemy's blatant violations of all international laws and agreements.

Amal Movement

The Central Media Office of the Amal Movement condemned and viewed the cold-blooded execution of this crime by the occupying forces as an indication of the criminal nature of the Israeli entity at all its political and military levels.

The Office placed the heinous crime before the international community, calling for urgent action to end "Israel's" aggression and halt its systematic warmongering in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Free Patriotic Movement

The Free Patriotic Movement's Central Media and Communication Committee condemned the Israeli crime, "which seeks in vain to silence the free Lebanese media and prevent it from fulfilling its duty and adds to the enemy's record of violations of international treaties and humanitarian law regarding wartime conduct."

The Free Patriotic Movement called on the United Nations, relevant institutions, and international and Arab journalistic organizations to denounce "Israel" and raise their voices in all forums against its repeated crimes against civilians, journalists, and health rescue teams.

Syrian Social Nationalist Party

The targeted location, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party stated, is a public and well-known space that hosts dozens of journalists from various media institutions, which proves that the Zionist enemy deliberately executed a massacre against journalists to prevent them from fulfilling their mission of conveying the truth and reality as it is, exposing the enemy’s crimes and failures on the ground.

"The enemy entity has blatantly disregarded all laws, committing crimes classified as against humanity. The global silence regarding the crimes of the occupation serves as implicit participation, revealing the falsehood of the shining slogans raised to obscure the truth," the SSNP's statement read.

Lebanese Forces Party 

The Media Department of the Lebanese Forces strongly condemned the targeting of journalists, denouncing "the Israeli airstrike on the residence of journalistic teams in Hasbaya, which resulted in the deaths of three journalists and injuries to several others," emphasizing "the need to protect journalists and civilians."

The department also condemned "attacks on press freedoms" and denounced "campaigns of discrediting against journalists and media outlets." 

Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party

The Central Leadership of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Lebanon strongly condemns the "brutal Zionist aggression targeting the residence of honorable journalists in Hasbaya."

This cowardly assault targeted media teams, leading to the martyrdom of journalists from Al Mayadeen and Al Manar channels and injuries among other stations working to convey the truth from the heart of the field.

The Party stressed that this attack was an assault on "every free and honorable voice that stands with Palestinian, Lebanese, and Arab rights against the Zionist war machine", considering the targeting of journalists is an attempt to silence the truth, "reaffirming the barbarity of the Zionist enemy, which fears that the world will witness the victories of the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine and see the extent of the new Nazi enemy's massacres against civilians".

Palestinian Resistance factions

Hamas Movement 

In a statement, the Hamas Movement condemned the criminal targeting by the occupation of the journalists' residence in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, describing it as a deliberate war crime and an act of organized state terrorism.

The Movement called on international journalistic and human rights organizations to condemn the repeated and deliberate targeting of journalists by the Israeli occupation.

"We urge them to take punitive measures against the entity for its crimes against journalistic teams and media personnel in both Palestine and Lebanon."

Islamic Jihad Movement 

"This horrific crime serves as further evidence of the criminal mentality adopted by the occupation against anyone who seeks to convey the truth," the PIJ stated, adding that what the enemy has done, with a direct and deliberate attack on a well-known media location, following previous attacks on the Al Mayadeen office in Beirut, is a "war crime and a blatant violation of all international laws and norms that protect journalists and prohibit their targeting."

Palestinian Resistance Committees

According to the Palestinian Resistance Committees, the deliberate targeting confirms that Al Mayadeen and Al Manar "are shaking the Zionist entity and exposing its plans and conspiracies, debunking its fabrications, deceptions, and lies, and surpassing its false media and bloodthirsty military spokespeople," making them targets of Zionist aggression, which will never succeed in silencing or diminishing their powerful voices for the truth and justice.

Al-Mujahideen, PFLP

The al-Mujahideen movement asserted that the new "barbaric aggression against journalists is an extension of the systematic Zionist campaign targeting the resistance media, which reflects the extent of the bankruptcy and failure the [Israeli] entity is mired in."

Alongside the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the al-Mujahideen condemned the Israeli crime and extended its condolences to the channel and the martyrs' families. 

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon

The leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) factions in Lebanon unequivocally condemned and denounced the continued, deliberate targeting of journalists by the Israeli occupation in both Gaza and Lebanon.

It stressed that "this systematic assault on the press aims to silence truth and undermine the role of media professionals who risk their lives to report on the realities faced by Palestinians under occupation."

The movement added that "The Zionist enemy targets journalists to conceal its crimes in Gaza and Lebanon, attempting to prevent the world from seeing its brutal, terrorist nature."

Central Committee of Fatah Intifada

The targeting of journalists from Al Mayadeen and Al Manar, as well as the free media, by the Zionist occupation is a deliberate war crime aimed at terrorizing journalists and preventing them from reporting the truth and covering the crimes of the occupation, member Abdul Majid Shadeed said.

In light of the heinous crimes committed by the occupation against journalists, including the assassination of its colleagues, and the brutal massacres against civilians, children, and women, Fatah called on "international human rights organizations to document these crimes against our people in order to bring this rogue entity to justice."

Fatah Movement 

The media office of the Fatah Movement in Lebanon condemns the heinous act carried out by the Israeli occupation early today, stressing that this blatant assault on journalists is part of the deliberate and systematic attempts by the Israeli occupation to obscure its crimes and violations from the eyes of the world.

"It represents a war crime that reflects a complete disregard for human values and a blatant violation of international law and agreements that ensure the safety of journalists and protect press freedom."

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) stated that the targeting of journalists' residence in Hasbaya by the Israeli occupation is considered a war crime aimed at silencing the voice of truth and obscuring the brutal massacres committed by the occupation.

The DFLP extended a salute of pride to the martyr and wounded heroes of journalism, truth, and resistance. It offered its deepest condolences to Al Mayadeen channel and the families of the martyrs, including Al Mayadeen cameraman Ghassan Najjar and broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda.

The front commended the pioneering role that Al Mayadeen plays in supporting the Resistance and revealing the occupation's brutality.

Regional, international condemnations from across the world

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei strongly condemned "Israel's" aggression and deliberate targeting of journalists in Hasbayya, South Lebanon, as "another example of the brutal war crimes committed by Israel."

"We condemn in the strongest terms this Israeli aggression that led to the martyrdom of journalists Ghassan Najjar, Mohammad Reda, and Wissam Qassem" from Al Mayadeen and Al Manar channels, he said.

On his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced the Israeli attack on Al Mayadeen's Beirut Office, which he called "a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," saying, "Impunity for the grave crimes committed against the brotherly peoples of Palestine and Lebanon must be put to an end."