The incident, which occurred on Saturday, has sparked a strong international reaction and accusations of war crimes. Lebanese authorities, including President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have strongly condemned the attack. The Israeli military confirmed killing Ali Shoeib, a correspondent for Al Manar, alleging he was operating within the Hezbollah terrorist organization under the guise of a journalist.

The conflict escalated when Hezbollah, backed by Iran, fired rockets at Israel in March, in response to the killing of the Iranian supreme leader. Israel responded with large-scale airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive in the south. Lebanese authorities have reported at least 1,189 people killed since the hostilities began.

Al Mayadeen and Al Manar confirmed the deaths of their journalists. Ali Shoeib, one of Al Manar's most prominent war correspondents, had covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades. Information Minister Paul Morcos called the actions war crimes.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had targeted Shoeib, accusing him of operating within Hezbollah. It later reported killing over 800 Hezbollah members since the start of the current war. This incident adds to a series of attacks against journalists in the region, including the death of Al Manar's political programs director, Mohammad Sherri, earlier this month.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killings, calling them “a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars.” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists was “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Several journalists were also killed and wounded during the previous round of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023 and 2024. In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six others were wounded while covering the conflict near the Israeli border. An independent AFP investigation concluded that two Israeli 120mm tank shells were fired from the Jordeikh area inside Israel.

Israel launched a new series of raids on southern Lebanon, killing nine paramedics, according to Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine. The minister said that four of the medics were from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee and were targeted by Israeli strikes while carrying out rescue missions, while five were from the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement’s Risala Scouts, who were also on duty.

Since the start of the war, the Health Ministry has documented the deaths of 46 paramedics and five other healthcare workers in Lebanon due to Israeli strikes, the minister said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) indicated that March has been the second most deadly month for health workers in Lebanon since the organization began monitoring attacks in October 2023. The Lebanese army announced the death of two of its soldiers, killed in Israeli airstrikes in the towns of Deir Zahrani and Kfar Tibnit.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported “a series of strikes” in the south early Saturday. In Henniyeh, the health ministry said an Israeli strike killed seven people, six Syrians and one Lebanese, and wounded nine Syrians. It also said that another strike on Deir Zahrani killed seven people and wounded eight others.

Hezbollah said in separate statements that it had targeted gatherings of Israeli forces in several southern towns including near Taybeh, just a few kilometers from Israel. Israeli forces have been pushing into areas near the border, and officials have announced plans to establish a buffer zone up to the Litani River, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Israel.