IN BRIEF
- Amal Khalil was killed by an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the town of al-Tayri, officials said.
- Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire at peace talks on Friday with Israel.
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon overnight have killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded a photographer accompanying her, according to a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil's employer, the Al-Akhbar newspaper.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil's death. Earlier, the Israeli military said in a statement it had received reports that two journalists were injured as a result of its strikes.
The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll on Wednesday (local time) to five people. It was the deadliest day since a 10-day ceasefire was announced on 16 April to halt hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them. They ran into a nearby house, which was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, Lebanon's health ministry, the senior Lebanese military official and press advocates said.
Lebanese rescuers were able to retrieve Faraj, who had suffered a head wound, according to Elsy Moufarrej, who runs the Union of Journalists in Lebanon.
When rescuers returned to help Khalil, the Israeli military dropped a sound grenade, blocking their access to the damaged building, Moufarrej and the senior military official said.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists and the obstruction of relief efforts constituted "war crimes".
"Lebanon will spare no effort in pursuing these crimes before the relevant international bodies," he said on X.
The health ministry said Israel's military "prevented the completion of the humanitarian mission by firing a sound grenade and live ammunition at the ambulance".
Rescuers were able to return to the site about four hours after the initial strike. After another three hours of searching through the rubble, they were able to retrieve her lifeless body, the senior military official said.
Al-Akhbar announced her death on its website.
In its earlier statement, the Israeli military denied it had prevented rescue teams from reaching the area.
In March, an Israeli airstrike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted one of the reporters.
Beirut seeks ceasefire extension
Besides Khalil, Israeli strikes also killed four more people in Lebanon on Wednesday, despite an ongoing ceasefire that Beirut will request an extension for in upcoming talks with Israel in Washington.
Ahead of the talks on Thursday (local time), Israel called on the Lebanese government to "work together" with it against Hezbollah.
The two governments, which do not have diplomatic relations with each other, are set to hold a second round of talks under US auspices on Friday AEST, in a bid to end more than six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah that began on 2 March.
Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during the meeting with Israel, a Lebanese official told Agence France-Presse.
"Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one month, an end of Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire," the Lebanese official said, on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the talks.
The 10-day ceasefire, which expires Sunday, was announced after an initial meeting last week.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that "contacts are underway to extend the ceasefire period".
More than 2,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched an offensive after Hezbollah's 2 March attack, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israel has seized a belt of territory at the border where its troops remain, saying it aims to create a "buffer zone" to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of rockets at Israel during the conflict.
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