UK, Finland condemn ‘unacceptable’ Israeli attacks on journalists in Lebanon

The UK and Finland on Saturday condemned attacks on journalists and media workers in Lebanon, calling for urgent measures to ensure their safety.

In a statement, the two countries, acting as co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition, said journalists play a vital role in exposing the realities of war and must be protected.

“Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Attacks on journalists in Lebanon, including journalist Amal Khalil killed in an Israeli strike on 22 April, are unacceptable,” they said.

“As co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK and Finland strongly condemn all violence directed against journalists and media workers,” the statement added.

They urged all parties, including Israeli authorities, to ensure that media workers in Lebanon can operate freely and safely.

“We call on the Israeli authorities and all other parties to make every effort to ensure that media workers in Lebanon can conduct their work freely and safely,” they said.

This came as the Lebanese Press Syndicate Editors reported that at least 27 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2, with many others wounded.

The syndicate said journalist Amal Khalil was killed in an Israeli strike on Wednesday in the southern town of Tayri, while her colleague Zeinab Faraj was wounded. It added that Khalil had previously received death threats from the Israeli army.

“With her killing, the number of journalists and media workers killed has risen to 27, in addition to a large number of injured,” the syndicate said. It condemned what it described as Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists and called on international and Arab press organizations to support Lebanese media workers.

According to Lebanon’s state news agency, Israeli forces prevented rescue teams from reaching the wounded journalists during the attack and targeted roads linking Tayri and nearby areas to block emergency access.