{"id":31941,"date":"2025-09-23T00:57:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T00:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/31941\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T00:57:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T00:57:17","slug":"israels-killing-of-31-yemeni-journalists-marks-deadliest-global-attack-in-16-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/31941\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel\u2019s killing of 31 Yemeni journalists marks deadliest global attack in 16 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C., September 19, 2025\u2014Israel\u2019s targeted<\/a> strikes on two newspaper offices in Yemen\u2019s capital, Sanaa, which killed 31 journalists and media support workers<\/a> on September 10, signal that its deadly pattern of attacking reporters and newsrooms on the grounds that they publish \u201cterrorist\u201d propaganda has spread firmly across the Middle East.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yemen\u2019s September 26 newspaper was the first to name the 31 killed<\/a> by multiple strikes on its office and that of the Yemen<\/a> newspaper, both in the government\u2019s Moral Guidance Directorate\u2019s headquarters. All but one of the dead worked for the two outlets.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Nasser Al-Khadri, editor-in-chief of 26 September, described the killings as an \u201cunprecedented massacre of journalists,\u201d with multiple strikes hitting its newsroom at around 4:45 p.m. as staff were finalizing<\/a> publication of the weekly paper, which is the Yemeni army\u2019s official outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a brutal and unjustified attack that targeted innocent people whose only crime was working in the media field, armed with nothing but their pens and words,\u201d he told CPJ, adding that many colleagues were reduced to body parts.<\/p>\n

A child, who had accompanied a journalist to work, was among the dead, Al-Khadri said, while 22 journalists were injured.<\/p>\n

The incident is the second deadliest single attack on the press ever recorded by CPJ, following the 2009 Maguindanao massacre in the Philippines, in which 32 journalists<\/a> were among those killed when a convoy was ambushed<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Al-Khadri called on the international community to take a firm stance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Israeli military destroyed the newspapers\u2019 facilities, printing presses, and archives. The archive of 26 September is one of Yemen\u2019s most important historical records, documenting the country\u2019s history since the last century, and its loss is deeply painful,\u201d he told CPJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"FightersFighters loyal to Yemen\u2019s Houthis carry caskets during a funeral for those killed in Israeli airstrikes, including journalists. (Photo: AFP\/ Mohammed Huwais)<\/p>\n

Smearing journalists as terrorists<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s attack on Yemen echoes previous strikes on Gaza<\/a>, Lebanon<\/a>, and Iran<\/a>, where it has repeatedly failed to distinguish between military targets and journalists, justifying its assassinations by smearing<\/a> journalists as terrorists or propagandists, without credible evidence. As civilians, journalists are protected<\/a> under international law<\/a>, including those working for state-run or armed group-affiliated outlets, unless they take direct part in hostilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On September 10, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on X <\/a>that it had struck \u201cmilitary targets\u201d in Sanaa and northern Al-Jawf Governorate, including the \u201cHouthi Public Relations Department\u201d that distributed \u201cpsychological terror.\u201d In a September 18 email to CPJ, the IDF\u2019s Foreign Media Desk added, \u201cThe terrorist regime\u2019s Public Relations Department is responsible for distributing and disseminating propaganda messages in the media, including speeches by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik and statements from spokesman Yahya Saree.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The IDF said the strikes were in response to repeated Houthi attacks <\/a>on Israel, which the rebels have declared<\/a> an act of solidarity with Palestinians since the Israel-Gaza war began in 2023. The Iranian-backed Houthis took control <\/a>of Sanaa in 2014 and have been fighting a Saudi-backed coalition supporting Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government for a decade.<\/p>\n

Abdulrahman Mohammed Mutahar, a journalist living 500 meters from the site, told CPJ the attack caused \u201cmassive explosions unlike anything Sanaa had seen since 2015.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said about eight missiles reduced the Moral Guidance Directorate headquarters to rubble, leaving some journalists\u2019 bodies buried underneath.<\/p>\n

\u201cTargeting journalists aims to silence the truth,\u201d Nabil Al-Asidi, a board member of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate, told CPJ, adding that several of those killed were prominent, long-standing members<\/a> of his union.<\/p>\n

Israel extends it war on journalists beyond Gaza\u00a0<\/p>\n

CPJ has long documented<\/a> Israel\u2019s tactic of portraying journalists as combatants to excuse their killing. Months before the current Gaza war, CPJ\u2019s 2023 \u201cDeadly Pattern\u201d<\/a> report detailed five unsubstantiated claims of terrorism or militant activity<\/a> against journalists killed by Israeli forces between 2004 and 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CPJ is classifying Israel\u2019s 31 killings in Yemen as\u00a0murders<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 deliberate targeting of journalists for their work. Prior to the September 10 attack, CPJ had determined that more than\u00a0two dozen<\/a>\u00a0other journalists and media workers had been murdered by Israel after the start of the war on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

An August investigation<\/a> by the independent Israeli magazine +972, found that the IDF runs a \u201cLegitimization Cell\u201d that frames Gaza-based journalists as Hamas operatives, in an effort to blunt global outrage over multiple killings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, condemnation has intensified with two attacks that clearly targeted the press. On August 10, six journalists<\/a> were killed in media tents near Gaza City\u2019s Al-Shifa Hospital, including Al Jazeera correspondent <\/a>Anas al-Sharif<\/a>, one of several journalists that Israel alleged, without evidence, were members of Hamas. On August 26, another five journalists<\/a> were killed at Khan Yunis\u2019 Nasser Hospital, sanctioned by an Israeli report<\/a> that said a Hamas camera was the target and six \u201cterrorists\u201d were \u201celiminated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince October 7, 2023, Israel has emerged as a regional killer of journalists, with repeated incidents in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and now Yemen confirming Israel\u2019s longstanding pattern of labeling journalists as terrorists or propagandists to justify their killings,\u201d said CPJ Regional Program Director Sara Qudah. \u201cIsrael\u2019s September 10 strikes on two newspaper offices in Yemen marks an alarming escalation, extending Israel\u2019s war on journalism far beyond the genocide<\/a> in Gaza. This latest killing spree is not only a grave violation of international law, but also a terrifying warning to journalists across the region: no place is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

CPJ research shows that Israel has killed 193 journalists and media workers in Gaza, six in Lebanon, three in Iran, and 31 in Yemen since the start of the Gaza war. CPJ has determined that at least nine of the 31 are journalists and is still investigating details on other press members in Yemen before updating its database with these numbers.<\/p>\n

In Lebanon<\/a>, three journalists were killed in an October 2024 overnight Israeli airstrike on a compound where 18 journalists were staying. The IDF said<\/a> it targeted a site where \u201cterrorists were operating,\u201d referring to the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah<\/a>, which \u2014 like the Houthis \u2014 had been firing rockets and drones into Israel, in what it described as \u201csolidarity\u201d with Gaza.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MournersMourners carry caskets during a funeral on September 16 for Yemeni journalists killed the previous week in Israeli airstrikes on Sanaa. (Photo: AFP\/Mohammed Huwais)<\/p>\n

The journalists who died worked for pro-Hezbollah channel Al-Mayadeen and Hezbollah-owned station Al-Manar. The IDF later acknowledged<\/a> that journalists were among the casualties and said the incident was under review.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Iran<\/a>, one journalist and one media worker died on June 16, 2025, after an Israeli strike hit the headquarters of Iran\u2019s state-owned television channel, which Defense Minister Israel Katz said<\/a> targeted \u201cthe Iranian regime\u2019s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority.\u201d\u00a0 Another journalist died<\/a> the day before in an Israeli strike near Quds Square in the capital, Tehran, as he was driving from a meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With strict censorship, Yemeni journalists pay \u2018a double price\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

It has proven nearly impossible for Yemeni journalists to report on the aftermath of recent Israeli<\/a> and U.S. attacks<\/a> due to Houthi authorities\u2019 strict censorship, three journalists and press freedom representatives told CPJ, on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals.<\/p>\n

Within hours of the September 10 strikes, the Public Prosecutor banned<\/a> the publication of photos and videos from the target sites. This followed a May directive<\/a> requiring people wishing to film or report within Sanaa to obtain prior authorization from the information ministry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYemeni journalists are paying a double price for their work \u2014 first from deadly Israeli airstrikes targeting journalists and media outlets, and second from local actors, including the Houthis, who use the war as a pretext to expand repression,\u201d Yousef Hazeb, head of the National Organization of Yemeni Reporters (SADA), told CPJ.<\/p>\n

The ongoing violence in Yemen is another risk factor. On September 16, further Israeli strikes disrupted the funerals <\/a>of the 31 journalists and media workers and other civilians killed on September 10.<\/p>\n

Yemen has long been one of the world\u2019s most dangerous countries for journalists, where they endure systematic repression<\/a> from multiple warring parties. Arbitrary detention<\/a>, enforced disappearances<\/a>, blocking<\/a> of online outlets, and unfair trials<\/a> occur with near-total impunity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is fear this Israeli attack will go unpunished, encouraging Israel and other parties to commit further violations and putting Yemeni journalists\u2019 lives and freedoms at greater risk,\u201d Khalil Kamel, Monitoring and Documentation Officer at the Yemen Observatory for Media Freedoms<\/a>, a local advocacy group, told CPJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impunity of all parties \u2014 Houthis, the Yemeni government, the Southern Transitional Council, and Al-Qaeda \u2014 has emboldened them to commit even more brutal abuses against journalists,\u201d he said, referring to four combatant groups active in Yemen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The names of the 31 journalists and media workers killed are listed here<\/a> and here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Washington, D.C., September 19, 2025\u2014Israel\u2019s targeted strikes on two newspaper offices in Yemen\u2019s capital, Sanaa, which killed 31…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,27052,46,6715,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-31941","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-impunity","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-killed","12":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}