The Lebanese Army announced early on Friday that a member of a media team was killed by Israeli fire on Thursday in southern Lebanon, where intense gunfire exchanges occurred between Israeli forces and "Hezbollah." The Israeli Army had previously stated that "its forces targeted an infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah and hit three individuals attempting to launch anti-tank missiles at Israel." In response to a question regarding the Lebanese Army's account, the Israeli Army stated that it is investigating the matter.
Hezbollah had earlier reported that it fired missiles at an Israeli site in the village of Al-Manara, to which Israel responded with artillery fire in the latest exchange during the worst escalation of violence along the border in 17 years. The United Nations peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) reported that a Lebanese civilian was killed on Thursday during the gunfire exchange. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti stated, "The Lebanese Armed Forces requested UNIFIL's assistance for seven individuals stranded near the blue line, close to the Sheikh Abad shrine, during intense crossfire across the blue line." He added that UNIFIL forces contacted the Israeli Army to request a ceasefire to rescue the group, stating, "It is tragic that one person lost their life during this incident while others were saved."
The Lebanese Army's statement indicated that Israeli forces targeted a media team of seven individuals with machine-gun fire, resulting in one fatality and injuries to another, without naming the individuals involved. Journalist Ali Shaib shared the last video recorded by the late Mohammad Al-Baqai after he was shot by Israeli forces on the platform "X."
This incident follows the death of a Reuters journalist and injuries to other journalists in southern Lebanon about a week ago. The Lebanese Army held Israel responsible for the incident, which the Israeli army claims to be under investigation. Reuters has called for Israel to conduct a "thorough, swift, and transparent investigation."
The border area has seen exchanges of fire since October 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, prompting an Israeli counter-offensive in Gaza. Hezbollah reported that its fighters targeted the Israeli site in Al-Manara with guided missiles and attacked four other Israeli sites on Thursday. The Israeli Army stated earlier that fighters in Lebanon had fired at least two anti-tank missiles at Israel that day, hitting the border village of Al-Manara without any casualties.
Hezbollah claims it is fully prepared to engage in conflict with Israel. However, sources familiar with the party's thinking say that its border attacks aim to keep Israeli forces occupied without opening a major new front. Israeli Defense Minister stated on October 15 that Israel has no interest in waging war on its northern front and that if Hezbollah maintains restraint, Israel will keep the situation along the border unchanged.
