Middle East

Killing of reporter shakes up Israel-Lebanon talks

23 April 2026

epa12909558 Alcune persone trasportano la bara della giornalista libanese Amal Khalil durante il corteo funebre nel villaggio di Baisariyah, nel sud del Libano, il 23 aprile 2026. La giornalista del quotidiano Al-Akhbar Amal Khalil è stata uccisa il 22 aprile in seguito a un attacco aereo israeliano che ha colpito un edificio nel villaggio di al-Tiri, nel distretto di Bint Jbeil, nel sud del Libano. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH EPA

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The killing of a Lebanese journalist in an IDF raid in the south of the Cedar country on 22 April 2026 shakes up the second round of talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv, which resumed at the White House - partly in the presence of Donald Trump according to Axios - to extend the fragile ten-day truce due to expire next Sunday.

The leadership of the Lebanese state accused Israel of committing a war crime in the death of Amal Khalil, a 43-year-old reporter working for the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, and the wounding of Zeinab Faraj, the freelance photographer he was travelling with.

According to the Lebanese authorities, the two were deliberately targeted while seeking shelter in a house after an initial air raid had hit the vehicle in front of them, killing two men: Faraj was extracted from the house whileKhalil was trapped under the rubble for hours before rescuers managed to recover her body.

The reporter had been covering southern Lebanon since 2006, where she had documented the destruction of houses by Israeli military forces.

In 2024, she had reported receiving a threatening phone call from an Israeli phone number warning her to leave the south and threatening to destroy her home and decapitate her.

Beirut also accused the Idf of intentionally targeting an ambulance while trying to reach journalists in the village of Al-Tiri.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam wrote on X that 'targeting journalists and obstructing the access of rescue teams constitutes a war crime', adding that hisgovernment will take the case to international bodies.

"Israel deliberately targets journalists to hide the truth about its crimes against Lebanon," Lebanese President Joseph Aoun echoed him.

An Israeli army spokesman stated that "the incident is still under investigation" but the IDF denied that they had prevented rescue teams from reaching the area and claimed they had not targeted journalists.

In short, not a good viaticum for the resumption of negotiations at the White House between the Lebanese ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and her Israeli counterpart, Yechiel Leiter.

In the meantime, while the UN is 'working' to maintain a presence in Lebanon after the departure of Unifil in December, the cease-fire registers new mutual violations.

An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon killed three people in the district of Nabatieh, while an attack in the village of Yater wounded two people, including a child.

The IDF also reiterated its warning to civilians not to return to villages in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah, for its part, claimed three attacks against Israeli positions in southern Lebanon.