Lebanese parties, figures condemn killing of Al Mayadeen's journalists
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Several Lebanese political parties and figures condemn the Israeli aggression on Al Mayadeen's crew in South Lebanon and describe it as an "attempt to stifle the voice of truth."
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Journalists and family members gather next to Red Cross ambulances carrying the bodies of the two martyred Al Mayadeen journalists killed by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, at the channel's headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 21, 2023 (Al Mayadeen)
Several Lebanese political parties and senior officials condemned the Israeli aggression in southern Lebanon that targeted Al Mayadeen's crew in the area, deliberately killing colleagues Farah Omar and Rabih Me'mari, alongside Hussein Akil, a civilian who was accompanying the crew, while they were covering the atrocities of the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon.
Farah Omar, Rabih Me'mari, and Hussein Akil baptized Lebanon's independence and sovereignty with their blood, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Tuesday.
"Decades of silence, let alone a minute, are not enough to mourn the martyrs and the humanity being killed by the genocidal Israeli killing machine," Berri added.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab underlined that the crime committed by the Israeli occupation was extremely painful, which "is but another crime to be added to the long list of Israeli crimes."
"The martyrdom of Farah, Rabih, and Hussein before the very eyes of the entire world is not merely a condemnable act," added.
"Of course, what happened will not deter Al Mayadeen; it will only increase its determination to disseminate the ugly truth of the Israeli occupation's practices," Bou Saab said.
Former Lebanese President Emile Lahoud offered his condolences to the families of martyrs Farah Omar, Rabih Me'mari, and the entire Al Mayadeen family, underlining that the network "today pays the price for exposing the crimes of the Israeli enemy."
Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc member of Parliament Hassan Fadlallah said the crime committed against Al Mayadeen in southern Lebanon was deliberate. "Martyrs Farah Omar and Rabih Me'mari have since the start been at the flashpoints and have been reporting on the funerals of martyrs."
"We have seen how motivated and cause-driven Al Mayadeen's crews have been in South Lebanon," he added. "The act of murder committed by Israel is surely an attempt to stifle the voice of the free, independent media."
The Resistance "will not show any tolerance when it comes to the targeting of civilians and any violations committed against them will not go unanswered. This is a part of its equation," Fadlallah stressed.
The leader of the Marada Movement also offered his condolences to Al Mayadeen for the martyrdom of its two journalists, describing them as "martyrs of freedom."
Major General Abbas Ebrahim, the former director general of the Lebanese General Directorate of General Security, offered his condolences to the families of the martyrs and Al Mayadeen network, underlining that their martyrdom was yet another war crime on the list of war crimes committed by "this entity that brings upon nothing but violence and bloodshed."
The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gibran Bassil, condemned the Israeli targeting of a church, the home of a Lebanese MP, Lebanese civilians, and journalists, dubbing the act a "war crime".
"What more can Israel do to drag Lebanon to war? It is a good thing that there is awareness and attention that go hand in hand with courage, martyrdom, and resistance... Glory to the souls of all martyrs, the latest of whom are [...] Farah and Rabih from Al Mayadeen," he said.
The central media official of the Amal Movement condemned the "cowardly criminal act committed by the occupation this morning when it targeted Al Mayadeen's crew in southern Lebanon as they were on duty, reporting on the continuous Israeli aggression."
The Amal Movement also offered its condolences to Al Mayadeen and the chair of its board of directors, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, for the martyrdom of Farah Oman, Rabih Me'mari, and civilian Hussein Akil, underlining that the Israeli occupation, despite all of its criminality, "will not succeed in its bids to silence the truth."
The Syrian Social Nationalist Party issued a statement underlining that journalism spearheads the truth in times of war, "shedding light on the aggressor and doing justice by the righteous."
The SSNP went on to "offer its deepest condolences and solidarity with Al Mayadeen for the martyrdom of journalist Farah Omar and her fellow photographer Rabih Me'mari at the hands of the army of the evanescent state that has long aimed to target the righteous voices in our homeland."
"The blood of Farah and Rabih will give further impetus to the fight against this evanescent state by all means possible until victory," he added.
The Future Movement condemned the Israeli crime, as well, saying it was "another war crime that is condemnable by all humanitarian and media standards and that the Lebanese media apparatus is paying the price for."
The Lebanese Kataeb party said this was the third time the Israeli occupation directly targeted media crews in clear violation of all international laws and agreements. "We once again ask that journalists and media crews be sidelined in this war, for they are not a party to it, and they are only disseminating the truth."
The Arab Unification Party in Lebanon said targeting Al Mayadeen is in conjunction with the Israeli violations of freedom of speech and expression.
Farah and Rabih were martyred earlier today after an Israeli aircraft targeted them in South Lebanon shortly after they finished their update on developments at around 10 am.
An Israeli warplane fired two rockets on Farah and Rabih's location.
Farah and Rabih had just ended a live broadcast at 10 am, giving updates on the latest Israeli bombardment in South Lebanon. She and her colleague, alongside a civilian who was accompanying them, Hussein Akil, were targeted soon after they wrapped up their coverage and went off air.
"Israel" has not been averse to the targeting of journalists and has done so numerous times in the past month, both in Gaza and in South Lebanon.
Soon after the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and as Israeli shelling on South Lebanon began to increase, "Israel" bombed journalists covering the events in the South, killing Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, wounding two other Reuters journalists and an Al-Jazeera crew.
Again, on November 13, "Israel" launched a strike on media crews, including Al Mayadeen's, in the Lebanese town of Yaroun, near the border. However, the attack thankfully did not result in any injuries.
