El Ciudadano
Original article: Tras el asesinato de Amal Khalil, Líbano acusa a Israel de matar periodistas para encubrir sus crímenes
Following the murder of Amal Khalil, a reporter for the newspaper Al Akhbar, Lebanon accuses Israel of killing journalists to cover up its crimes.
Amal Khalil, a veteran field journalist, died during an Israeli assault on Tuesday in the village of Al Tayri in southern Lebanon.
The President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, expressed his condolences over the journalist’s murder and denounced that Israel’s deliberate attacks on reporters are part of a systematic policy aimed at silencing those who document the occupation’s crimes and its aggression against the Lebanese people.
The president remarked that these are «punishable crimes against humanity under international laws and norms, and constitute a call for the international community to intervene and put an end to them,» as reported by Al Mayadeen.
Continuing this sentiment, the President of the Lebanese Parliamentary Media and Information Committee, Ibrahim Mousawi, stated that Amal Khalil’s murder is part of the systematic persecution of journalists and the destruction of the facilities and offices where they work, through which Israel seeks to conceal the crimes committed against Lebanese and Palestinian civilians.
«We call on international and human rights organizations to denounce this aggression and to bring those responsible to international justice to put an end to their impunity. We fully trust that this crime will receive the necessary response to ensure the safety and rights of our country,» the MP said in statements cited by Al Mayadeen.
Journalist Amal Khalil Killed by Israel Amid Ceasefire
According to reports, the murder of Amal Khalil occurred during an attack carried out by Israel against the village of Al-Tiri in the Bint Jbeil district, despite the ceasefire agreed upon with Hezbollah.
The journalist, who had been working for the local media outlet Al-Akhbar since 2006 and was known as the «Southern Correspondent«, had received threats from the Zionist regime.
She received an intimidating message via WhatsApp on her cell phone stating: «We will separate your head from your body if you don’t leave Lebanon«, and security authorities confirmed that the number sending it belonged to the occupying entity.
On Tuesday, while driving a vehicle with photojournalist Zeinab Faraj, an Israeli drone struck the car that was escorting them as it passed in front of them around 14:30, killing both passengers.
After the attack, communications began between rescue teams and Lebanese army intelligence, while the Red Cross awaited authorization from the coordination mechanism. However, at 16:00, the drone attacked again, bombing the vehicle that both women had moved to after the first strike.
Khalil contacted a colleague to inform him about the situation and took refuge with Faraj in a house in the village while the Red Cross still did not have authorization to intervene.
According to Al Mayadeen, half an hour later, as it was reported that the Zionist regime was preventing access to the site, Israeli aviation bombed Al Tiri, directly hitting the home where the reporter and the photojournalist were taking shelter.
After ten minutes had passed, the Red Cross was granted permission and rescue teams quickly arrived at the site, where they were able to recover the bodies of the two individuals who died in the previous attack and found Faraj severely injured.
While attempting to locate Khalil, Israel launched stun grenades and opened fire, preventing them from continuing the search, causing the journalist to remain trapped under the rubble for almost six hours, until her body was recovered just before midnight.
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