Journalists killed in Hasbaya: Lebanon files complaint with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Caretaker Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makari announced Saturday at a press conference that Lebanon has filed a complaint with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights following the deaths of three Lebanese journalists in an Israeli strike early Friday in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon.

''The government has taken the necessary steps regarding the attack that killed journalists and the attempted murder of others who were also in Hasbaya,'' said Makari. He added that the Lebanese Foreign Ministry filed a complaint with the High Commissioner in Geneva and expects further complaints to be submitted to the UN Security Council and UNESCO. ''The Information Ministry has also reached out to UNESCO on this matter,'' he noted.

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'We were asleep': Shock after Israeli strike kills journalists in southern Lebanon

The Israeli strike took place at 3:30 a.m. on Friday in Hasbaya, where media teams have been stationed for a month covering the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, which launched ground operations in Lebanon on Sept. 30. The attack claimed the lives of two journalists from the pro-Iranian channel Al-Mayadeen and a third from the party channel Al-Manar.

The strikes also pose a threat to Lebanon's cultural heritage, particularly in Baalbeck, where blast waves risk damaging the city’s famed Roman temple.

Makari also called on the Lebanese press to ''avoid being dragged down by false information, especially that conveyed by the enemy, and to preserve civil peace while avoiding contact with [online] accounts of the Israeli enemy.''

''The danger facing the Lebanese press is also facing the foreign press,'' he warned, urging the international community to assume its responsibilities ''to stop the Israeli killings.''

''The [Israel] aggression is multidimensional. It leads to the destruction of villages and cultural heritage while sparking internal conflicts. Either the media contribute to preserving unity, or they sink into disagreement,'' said the Minister, assuring us that ''freedom of the press is sacred.''

Makari also called for media outlets to serve as ''spaces of national resistance instead of platforms for conflict,'' assuring that ''the ministry will not act as a watchdog over every published article.''

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.

Journalistes tués à Hasbaya : Le Liban a porté plainte auprès du Haut-Commissariat aux droits de l'Homme de l'ONU