UN experts have called for an international investigation into the death of three Lebanese journalists in an Israeli strike, saying Israel had not provided “credible evidence” of their alleged links to armed groups.
The three journalists, including Ali Shoeib, a star correspondent for Al Manar channel of Hezbollah, which is at war with Israel, were killed on March 28 in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.
“We denounce strongly what has now become a standard, dangerous practice of Israel to target and kill journalists and then claim, without providing any credible evidence, that they were involved with armed groups,” the experts said in a statement.
The Israeli army had described Shoeib as a member of the Radwan force, an elite Hezbollah unit, operating “under the guise of a journalist”.
According to the experts, Israel’s only so-called “evidence” for its claims was a photoshopped image of the journalist.
Journalism not combat