Daijiworld Media Network - Beirut
Beirut, Jan 27: A television presenter associated with Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV was killed in an Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Monday, the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah said.
The victim, identified as Ali Nour al-Din, worked for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar channel and previously presented religious programmes. Confirming the death, Al-Manar said al-Din was killed in the Israeli strike in Tyre.
Hezbollah described the killing as a “treacherous assassination” and warned that Israel’s escalating actions in Lebanon were now extending to the media community. The group also said al-Din served as the main preacher in Al-Hawsh, a suburb of Tyre.
Lebanese Minister of Information Paul Morcos condemned the attack, saying on social media that Israeli strikes were “sparing neither journalistic nor media crews”. He expressed solidarity with the media fraternity and urged the international community to take urgent steps to halt the violations and ensure the protection of journalists in Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said one person was killed in an Israeli air strike in Tyre, without naming the victim. The ministry also reported that two others were killed in a separate Israeli strike in Kfar Rumman near Nabatieh.
The Israeli military later acknowledged the killing of al-Din, referring to him as a Hezbollah member, and said it also targeted two individuals in the Nabatieh area.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least six Lebanese journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks since 2023, while other monitoring groups have put the number at 10.
Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 after more than a year of hostilities that saw widespread Israeli air strikes across Lebanon. Despite the truce, Israel has continued regular attacks and maintains troops at five locations in southern Lebanon. Since the ceasefire, more than 350 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah called on supporters to gather across its strongholds to express solidarity with Iran, warning of “American-Zionist sabotage and threats”. In a televised address, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said any attack on Iran would be considered an attack on Hezbollah and cautioned that a new war on Tehran would engulf the region. He also warned against any attempt to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has warned the United States that any attack would draw a “regret-inducing response” with repercussions across the Middle East.