BBC promotion of the narrative that Israel targets journalists did not begin after the Hamas-led attacks of October 7th 2023 but it has certainly dramatically increased since then.

Throughout the past two-and-a-half years, we have repeatedly raised concerns about the disinterest of BBC journalists in denouncing the exploitation of their profession by terrorists or in drawing a line between legitimate media organisations and those that knowingly employ terror operatives and promote the agendas of terrorist groups.

Time and time again the BBC has queried, downplayed or disregarded evidence of journalists’ affiliations with terrorist organisations while completely ignoring research on the topic by organisations or individuals. Concurrently, the BBC has repeatedly amplified claims from bodies such as the Foreign Press Association (FPA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and has even participated in related publicity campaigns.

On the afternoon of March 28th, news broke of a strike on a vehicle near the town of Jezzine in Lebanon. Shortly afterwards the IDF confirmed that it had struck a journalist by the name of Ali Hassan Shaib – also Ali Shoeib – working for the Hizballah-owned (and US designated) media outlet Al Manar. Two journalists working for another Hizballah-affiliated outlet – Al Mayadeen – were in the same vehicle.

“According to the IDF, Shoeib was an operative in the Radwan Force’s intelligence unit while also working as a journalist for the Hezbollah-linked Al-Manar TV channel.

The IDF says Shoeib “served as a terrorist in the Hezbollah terror organization under the guise of a journalist for the Al-Manar network, while consistently working to expose the locations of IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon and along the border, and maintained continuous contact with other terrorists in the Radwan Force unit in particular and within the terror organization in general.”

During the ongoing war with Iran, Shoeib “continued his activities and reported on the locations of IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon,” the IDF says.”

Hours after that IDF confirmation had been issued, the BBC News website published a report by Hugo Bachega and Samantha Granville headlined “Tears and defiance as Lebanese family bury child, 11, killed in Israeli strike” in which readers are told that: [emphasis added]

“On Saturday, three Lebanese journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike on their media vehicle, their employers said.

Ali Shoeib, a well-known correspondent for Al Manar TV, a station affiliated with Hezbollah, was killed alongside reporter Fatima Ftouni and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni from the channel Al Mayadeen, according to the stations.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had killed Shoeib, describing him as a “terrorist” from Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force who had “operated for years under the guise of a journalist”.

The IDF provided no evidence to support its claim that Shoeib had a military role. It did not comment on the deaths of Fatima or Mohamed Ftouni.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the strike a “brazen crime” that violated all norms under which journalists should be protected during war.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has previously accused Israel of repeatedly killing media professionals while alleging they were militants without providing credible evidence.”

Later on the evening of March 28th, the BBC News website published a report credited to Lina Sinjab and Maia Davies titled “Three Lebanese journalists killed in Israeli strike, say broadcasters”.

“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had killed Shoeib, describing him as a “terrorist” from Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force who had “operated for years under the guise of a journalist”.

It said he had worked to “expose the locations of IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon and along the border”, including during the current fighting, and had used his position “to disseminate Hezbollah propaganda materials”.

The IDF provided no evidence to support its claim that Shoeib had a military role. It did not comment on the deaths of Fatima or Mohamed Ftouni.

Hezbollah denounced the strike as the “deliberate criminal targeting of journalists”.”

One of Hizballah’s related statements can be found here.

While all four of those BBC journalists promoted the claim that “the IDF provided no evidence” – (and even though in the past the BBC has chosen to ignore such evidence when presented), they displayed remarkably little journalistic curiosity regarding the record of Ali Shoeib. As reported by the Times of Israel:

“For years Shoeib had been broadcasting from the border with Israel, at times taunting Israeli troops.

In January 2024, Shoeib published a post on X threatening Eitan Davidi, the leader of the Israeli border community of Margaliot. The post included footage showing a Hezbollah operative aiming a gun at Davidi’s home from across the border.”

Shoeib’s threats against Eitan Davidi were reported at the time and his practice of informing Hizballah of the locations of IDF troops has also long been documented. Shoeib’s name has appeared in court cases in Israel relating to the transfer of information to Hizballah. Had the BBC journalists looked, they might also have found the photographs of Shoeib with figures such as Qassem Soleimani and a Radwan Force commander.

Basic research would also have led to BBC journalists being aware of Fatima Ftouni’s support for the Assad regime’s atrocities, her glorification of Hassan Nasrallah and participation in a Hizballah social media campaign as well as her cheering of the October 7th Hamas massacre.

Such background information would no doubt have helped BBC audiences better understand a statement from the IDF put out on the morning of March 29th.

“IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Efi Defrin explained why Al-Manar journalist Ali Shoeib was eliminated. Defrin stated that “Shoeib was officially recruited as a member of Hezbollah’s military wing in 2020, but in practice has been collaborating with the terror organization since 2013. His role in the intelligence unit was to photograph intelligence information and transfer it to the Radwan Force – under the guise of a journalist.” He added: “Shoeib’s activity of exposing IDF force locations posed a real threat to the lives of our forces in southern Lebanon.””

The danger posed by Shoeib to IDF troops operating in Lebanon since Hizballah chose to join the current war is not, however, the story that the BBC wants to tell. The corporation’s chosen framing of the story is portrayed as follows in the report by Sinjab and Davies:

“Many in Lebanon are worried Israel is using similar tactics it has been accused of deploying in Gaza – including the deliberate targeting of civilians, journalists and paramedics, which Israel denies.”

Similar framing is found in social media posts (and reposts) from BBC journalists:

When media and advocacy organisations serially fail to challenge those who exploit the profession for the purposes of terrorism, they undermine its very foundations and compromise public trust in journalism in general. Adopting that stance in order to advance one of the narratives that is the foundation for the chosen framing of particular conflicts is especially damaging to BBC credibility but as we see, the corporation continues to embrace that editorial policy.