Eight journalists wounded in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon village

Israeli strikes on Qennarit, in the Sidon district, wounded 19 people in total, including journalists, the ministry said.

Two of the injured were admitted to intensive care, three required hospitalisation, and 14 were treated in emergency departments.

Journalists at the scene said their injuries were caused by flying debris, while several media vehicles and pieces of equipment were damaged.

Israel launched a wave of strikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, including attacks on four border crossings along the Syria-Lebanon frontier, which it said were used by Lebanon's Hezbollah to allegedly smuggle weapons.

The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings to residents in the villages of Qennarit, Kfour and Jarjouaa ahead of strikes on alleged Hezbollah infrastructure.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the group. However, Israel has continued its near-daily cross-border attacks allegedly targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure, killing over 300 people, including women and children.

Both the Lebanese army and UNIFIL have rejected Israeli claims of Hezbollah rebuilding south of the Litani River.

Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the United States and Israel to disarm the group. Hezbollah says it will only give up its arms when Israeli attacks stop and Israeli forces withdraw from the points occupied in southern Lebanon.

Reacting to Wednesday’s attacks, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians.

"Once again, Israel is pursuing a policy of systematic aggression by carrying out air strikes on inhabited Lebanese villages, in a dangerous escalation that directly targets civilians," he said in a post on X.

Press freedom groups and journalist unions have repeatedly warned about the risks faced by media workers covering Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

The International Federation of Journalists has previously raised concerns over a pattern of attacks on journalists in the south of the country, calling for an end to intimidation and for the protection of media workers under international law.