An Israeli drone strike on Saturday targeted a vehicle on the main Jezzine road in southern Lebanon, killing two individuals identified as Ali Choeib, from al-Manar television, and Fatima Ftouni, from al-Mayadeen. It marks the first Israeli strike on this road since the war began on March 2nd.
Ali Shaib and Fatima Ftouni © OLJ
An Israeli drone strike on Saturday targeted a vehicle on the main Jezzine road in southern Lebanon, killing two individuals identified as Ali Shaib, from al-Manar television, and Fatima Ftouni, from al-Mayadeen. It marks the first Israeli strike on this road since the war began on March 2nd.
The Israeli military said in a statement it had "eliminated" Shaib, whom it described as a "terrorist" in a Hezbollah intelligence unit who had reported on the locations of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. It accused him of "incitement" against Israeli soldiers and civilians.
The two outlets are closely affiliated with Hezbollah. Al-Manar is the militia's official broadcasting arm, while al-Mayadeen serves as a pro-Iran, pro-Hezbollah propaganda channel across the region.
Neither outlet operates as an independent news organization, both function as instruments of Hezbollah's information warfare, broadcasting content designed to glorify the Iran-backed militia and advance its narrative.
For Israel, individuals embedded within Hezbollah's media apparatus are not neutral journalists, they are operatives serving a designated terrorist organization's propaganda machine, and are treated accordingly under its rules of engagement.
The strike reflects Israel's broader strategy of targeting the full spectrum of Hezbollah's operational infrastructure, military, financial, and informational.
In a conflict where narrative and perception are weaponized alongside missiles and drones, Hezbollah's media arm is considered an integral part of its war machine.
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