When visual journalist Ahmed Chihadeh came under Israeli drone fire in January 2025 while covering the return of displaced residents to the southern Lebanese town of Houla, he removed his press vest and hid his camera.
“After what happened to my colleagues, and after seeing that there has still been no justice for those who were killed or injured, I do not feel safe,” the Palestinian-Lebanese freelancer told the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Three years after Reuters video journalist
Issam Abdallah was killed
and six other journalists injured in the first instance CPJ has documented of Israeli forces deliberately targeting journalists following the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, members of the press in Lebanon say continued attacks, combined with the absence of accountability, have changed how they work.
Journalists who have reported from southern Lebanon told CPJ that areas they once covered have become inaccessible due to Israel’s military presence and the risk of being targeted. They said that identifying themselves as press no longer offers them a sense of protection, while mounting risks have forced them to document events from afar they can no longer witness firsthand.
Chihadeh and fellow photojournalist Hassan Fneich were among a
group of civilians
about 150 to 200 meters (490 to 650 feet) from Israeli forces when a drone descended and began firing. Fneich, who was standing beside him,
was hit in the leg.
“With all the technology and artificial intelligence we have reached, surely whoever is flying in the sky knows they are targeting civilians,” Chihadeh said.
A growing record of attacks
On October 13, 2023, two Israeli tank shells struck the group of seven journalists reporting near Alma al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, killing Abdallah and injuring six others, including Agence France-Presse photojournalist Christina Assi, who suffered life-altering injuries.
At least five independent investigations concluded that the clea
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