A Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigation has found that an Israeli airstrike on October 25, which killed three journalists in Lebanon and involved US-made weapons, was “most likely a deliberate attack on civilians and an apparent war crime.”
According to HRW, the strike took place at the Hasbaya Village Club Resort in Hasbaya, eastern Lebanon, where more than a dozen journalists had been staying for over three weeks.
The Israel Defense Forces told CNN on the day that it had struck a building where “terrorists were operating,” but later revised its statement, saying “the incident is under review.”
HRW said it visited the resort, interviewed eight people who were staying at or near the resort, and reviewed several videos and photos of the attack and its aftermath, as well as satellite imagery.
Among those interviewed were three journalists wounded in the attack, who said all their vehicles were marked as “Press” or “TV” and added they had heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead in the days before the attack, suggesting they had been under surveillance from the IDF, HRW said.
“Information Human Rights Watch reviewed indicates that the Israeli military knew or should have known that journalists were staying in the area and in the targeted building,” HRW said.
