On 2 March, Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon targeted the offices of Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio in Beirut, and Sawt Al-Farah Radio in Tyre in southern Lebanon. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Union of Journalists of Lebanon (UJL), in deploring the destruction of media offices by Israel and reiterates that the targeting of journalists and media facilities constitutes a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law.
On 2 March, Israel launched heavy airstrikes on Lebanon, after the paramilitary group Hezbollah fired missiles towards Israel triggered by the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. This escalation followed joint military attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against Iran on 28 February, resulting in multiple deaths and widespread destruction across the region.
Amid the ongoing bombardment of Lebanon, the Israeli army targeted the buildings housing the offices of Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio in Beirut on 2 March. The attacks caused significant damage to the media facilities.
In a separate attack, the offices of Sawt Al-Farah Radio in Tyre were struck and completely destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli army confirmed that it had targeted the offices of the Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association, a financial institution linked to Hezbollah, which were located in the same building as Sawt Al-Farah Radio.
Since the escalation began, the Israeli military has issued multiple forced displacement orders affecting dozens of towns in southern Lebanon and neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
In a statement, the ULJ said: “The targeting of these institutions is a continuation of Israel’s ongoing approach in Palestine and Lebanon of targeting journalists and their workplaces, as part of its policies to obscure the truth and impose its narrative in the ongoing aggression that began on 7 October.” The union emphasised that the targeting of media facilities constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “We strongly condemn Israel’s targeting of the media facilities of Al-Manar TV, Al-Nour Radio and Sawt Al-Farah Radio, and reiterate that journalists are civilians who must be protected at all times. Media infrastructure is civilian in nature and must not be subject to attack. Deliberate attacks on journalists and media facilities constitute war crimes, and those responsible must be brought before international courts.”
The IFJ calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, ensure the safety of journalists and media workers and immediately cease attacks on civilian and media infrastructure.
The IFJ issued safety advisories in English and French for journalists covering the war in Lebanon.