A building destroyed by an Israeli strike on Nabatieh on April 17, 2026. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
SOUTH LEBANON — The Lebanese Press Photographers Syndicate denounced in a statement published Friday the assault suffered in the morning by four correspondents and photojournalists from southern Lebanon while traveling in Debbine (Marjayoun).
According to reports, the four correspondents — Loutfallah Daher, Karamallah Daher, Roger Nohra, and Rabih Daher — were confronted by a group of men and reported "beatings, insults, defamatory statements, accusations of treason and espionage, as well as the destruction of their personal vehicles."
Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, the syndicate president, Ali Allouche, said that the residents of Debbine, an area that witnessed heavy fighting between Hezbollah and Israel before the cease-fire took effect at midnight yesterday, distanced themselves from the attackers. "This will not prevent us from taking the matter to court. This type of aggression against photojournalists is unacceptable," he added.
The syndicate stated in its release that the assaulted correspondents work for AFP, Reuters, MTV — a television channel whose editorial line is very hostile to Hezbollah — and LBCI. According to another source familiar with the case, Rabih Daher also works as a stringer and freelance photographer for AFP and other media outlets, while Roger Nohra is also associated with the daily An-Nahar. Karamallah Daher most often works for Reuters, and Loutfallah Daher is mainly associated with LBCI.
Legal action and investigations
Allouche assured that his organization intends to take legal action against those responsible, who have yet to be apprehended. Information Minister Paul Morcos and Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar are also following the matter. Hajjar said that military intelligence and the Internal Security Forces (ISF) have been tasked to investigate. Morcos condemned the incident and emphasized the need to ensure journalists' safety.
"The Lebanese Press Photographers Syndicate condemns the violence suffered by journalists in the Marjayoun region while on the job … and renews its warning against any attack on journalists, affirming that it will closely follow this incident," stated the organization, created in 1982 and claiming 600 professional members.
Asked about the sectarian factor in the attack — or the idea that the reporters may have been targeted by Hezbollah supporters unhappy to see them documenting damage following the cease-fire, or opposed to the presence of Christian communities staying in their villages while members of the Shiite community were forced to fee — Ali Allouche said there was no evidence to properly substantiate this interpretation of events.
"It should be understood that this incident happened this time in southern Lebanon, but photojournalists can potentially be attacked anywhere in [the country], regardless of the region or the political party that dominates it," he said.
Debbine was the site, just hours before the cease-fire was called, of an advance by Israeli forces. The village is located about a kilometer from the Litani River.
It was not possible to contact the journalists concerned to get their account of the events at this time.
Israel has killed over 260 journalists and media workers since 2023, the vast majority of them in Gaza and over 20 of them in Lebanon.
