- Three journalists, including Al Mayadeen’s Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed, were killed when a precision strike hit their marked press vehicle.
- Nine paramedics were killed across various locations in southern Lebanon, leading to the shutdown of four hospitals and 51 primary healthcare centers.
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have condemned the strikes as “blatant crimes” and “flagrant violations” of international humanitarian law.
The conflict in Lebanon reached a devastating milestone on Saturday, March 28, 2026, as targeted Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of three media workers and nine emergency responders.
Eko Hot Blog reports that among the dead were Fatima Ftouni and Mohammed Ftouni of Al Mayadeen, and Ali Shuaib of Al-Manar.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- Judge Frees 37 Inmates Over Prolonged Detention in Akwa Ibom
- Trump Threatens Iran Over Energy Attacks
- Tinubu Excludes Kemi Badenoch from UK State Visit Itinerary
Witnesses reported that their press vehicle, which was clearly marked, was struck by four consecutive missiles on Jezzine Road, leaving no survivors.
The Israeli military admitted to the strike but alleged that Ali Shuaib was monitoring troop movements for a Hezbollah intelligence unit, a claim vehemently denied by Al-Manar, who described him as a veteran war correspondent.
This incident follows a grim trend; the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that 2025 was the deadliest year for journalists in over three decades, with Israel accounting for nearly two-thirds of those fatalities.
Simultaneously, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a series of five separate attacks on healthcare operations throughout the day.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus detailed the casualties, noting that strikes in Zoutar al-Sharqiya, Kfar Tibnit, and Ghandouriyeh killed nine health workers.
These attacks have paralyzed the region’s medical infrastructure, forcing dozens of facilities to close and leaving those remaining barely functional.
On the ground, Israeli forces have advanced toward the Litani River, while Hezbollah has intensified its retaliatory operations.
Lebanese health officials report that since March 2 alone, over 1,142 people have been killed.
Despite the “deadly gamble” of staying in what is now effectively a no-go zone south of the Litani, roughly 20% of the population remains, even as bombardments continue to rock the south.
