Widespread condemnation after Israeli strike kills Al-Manar journalist Mohammad Sherri

BEIRUT — Several political and public figures from across Lebanon political spectrum condemned the Israeli targeted strike that killed Mohammad Sherri, a journalist for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar, in Beirut's Zouqaq al-Blat neighborhood, condemning it as a "war crime."

At dawn on Wednesday, the Israeli army targeted central Beirut four times, including two strikes on Zoqaq al-Blat, which hit floors of two different buildings, and another in Basta, killed 10 people and wounding 27.

Among those killed were journalist Mohammad Sherri and his wife, who were in one of the Zokak el-Blat buildings. Shortly after the attack, Al-Manar released a statement confirming the death of its journalist, adding that his children and grandchildren were also wounded in the Israeli strike.

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The SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom also reported that the victim's son, Assar Sherri, an editor at the Aletejah channel affiliated with Iraqi Hezbollah, was injured.

In its statement, Al-Manar paid tribute to its journalist, who had served as director of its political programs for 10 years. One of its presenters read out this tribute, describing Sherri, known as "Abou Hassan," as a "resister, patriot and rebel," "a man who believed in the word as a weapon to defend rights at any cost." The statement added that Sherri was suffering from an illness and recovering from a "surgical operation" at the time of the strike.

According to a close acquaintance of the victim contacted by our publication, the 65-year-old journalist and father of four was sleeping during the bombing. "He was a kind person, close to everyone. We never thought something like this could happen. He had nothing to do with military activities. We are proud of his martyrdom, but we are saddened by his absence," the acquaintance said. In a video circulating on social media, the journalist is seen discussing the importance of "martyrdom."

The daily newspaper al-Akhbar, close to Hezbollah, also paid tribute to the journalist, paying tribute to his "professional ethics and patience until the last moment." Sherri joined al-Manar in 1998 and "devoted nearly 30 years of his life to journalism," conducting "many important interviews," including one with former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli strikes on Sept. 27, 2024, during the previous war.

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'War crime'

The Israeli army did not comment on the strike that killed Sherri. On X, its Arabic spokesperson, Ella Waweya, stated that one of the strikes in Beirut killed the commander of the Imam Hussein brigade, Hassan Ali Marwan, without specifying the neighborhood. With the exception of the Bashoura attack — which completely destroyed a building — the Israeli strikes between Tuesday and Wednesday night were carried out without prior warning and targeted residential buildings.

The death of journalist Sherri also sparked a wave of condemnation in Lebanon.

Information Minister Paul Morcos wrote on X: "Targeting journalists is a blatant violation of international law and an assault on press freedom."

Meanwhile, Beirut MP Paula Yacoubian wrote on X: "The targeting of journalist Mohammed Shari and his wife inside their home in Beirut is a war crime that cannot be justified or overlooked."

"A journalist is not a party to the conflict, and his home is not a battlefield," she added.

Yacoubian concluded, "When such spaces are targeted, any pretense of adherence to the law or ethics is completely undermined ... we hope that this kind of news does not become the norm."

Head of Legal Agenda NGO, attorney Nizar Saghieh, also described the targeting of the journalist as a "war crime," adding that he was waiting for a "clear stance from the Lebanese government to condemn this crime."

For his part, the president of the Journalists' Syndicate, Joseph Kosseifi, said, "this crime adds to a series of crimes committed by Israel against Lebanese journalists and media figures, which have cost many lives or caused injuries to many of them."

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the journalist's killing on Wednesday. "Such attacks show a complete disregard for civilian lives and the safety of journalists," said Joud Hassan, Levant program coordinator for CPJ, reporting that four journalists had been wounded since the outbreak of the war.

Hezbollah also denounced the strike in a statement the same day, claiming that the Israeli army "deliberately targets resistance and free media outlets," in reference to a March 3 Israeli strikes on March 3 that targeted Al-Manar offices in southern Beirut. Al-Nour radio, also affiliated with Hezbollah and based in Beirut's southern suburbs was also targeted on March 3.

During the 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the party’s spokesperson, Mohammad Afif, was killed along with four other members of his media team in two Israeli strikes in the heart of Beirut in November.