Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil (file photo)

A Lebanese journalist was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Rescuers recovered his body hours after the attack, amid ongoing hostilities related to the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.Al-Akhbar reporter Amal Khalil took shelter in a house in the village of al-Tiri while covering the fighting. According to Lebanese officials, the attack on the house came shortly after an earlier Israeli attack in the area.Lebanese health ministry officials said two people were killed in the initial attack. After this, the second attack took place on the building where Khalil and his associate Zainab Faraz had taken shelter. Faraz was seriously injured and was pulled from the debris, but rescue teams were unable to immediately reach Khalil.The ministry said Israeli shelling in the area forced emergency responders to suspend their operations, causing delays in reaching the site. Khalil remained trapped under the debris for several hours before Lebanese Army units, civil protection teams and the Lebanese Red Cross were able to reach him. His body was recovered late at night, more than six hours after the attack.Israel’s military said it was reviewing the incident and ascertaining whether the villagers had violated the ceasefire and posed a threat to its forces. It denied deliberately targeting journalists or hindering rescue operations.Lebanon’s Information Minister Paul Morkos condemned the killing as a “gross violation of international and humanitarian law”.Khalil’s death came just ahead of a second round of talks in Washington between Israeli and Lebanese officials aimed at extending the ceasefire that took effect last week. conflict between israel and HezbollahTension continues to rise along the border, which flared up again in early March amid broader regional tensions linked to the US-Israel confrontation with Iran.

Who is Amal Khalil?

An experienced reporter from southern Lebanon, Khalil had covered conflicts in the region since 2006. His recent reporting focused on Israeli demolitions in villages where troops have established positions inside Lebanese territory.His killing brings to nine the number of journalists killed in Lebanon this year, according to media monitors cited by the Associated Press. Lebanese officials said at least 2,300 people have been killed and more than a million displaced in the widespread conflict.International press freedom groups condemned the incident. Reporters Without Borders had previously urged pressure on Israel to allow safe access for rescue workers, while the Committee to Protect Journalists said that explicitly targeting journalists and hindering rescue efforts could constitute war crimes.Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, called for coordinated efforts involving the army, the Red Cross and United Nations peacekeepers to secure access to the site.The incident follows a series of deadly attacks on media workers in recent weeks. In late March, an Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, including Ali Shoaib of Al-Manar TV. Israel said he was affiliated with the Hezbollah intelligence agency, an allegation not proven.Fatima Fatouni, who worked with Al-Mayadeen TV, and her brother Mohammed Fatouni were also killed in the same attack. A few days earlier, Mohammed Sherry and his wife were killed in another airstrike in Beirut.