A Lebanese journalist wounded in an Israeli airstrike this week recounted hours of agony as she and her colleague waited for rescue in southern Lebanon. Zeinab Faraj said they were targeted by three separate strikes while covering conditions in a border village days after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Her colleague, veteran reporter Amal Khalil, was killed.

Faraj said the first strike hit a car in front of them, followed by a second strike that destroyed their own vehicle. The two women sought shelter in a nearby shop, where Khalil was suffering from multiple wounds and burns. As they waited for help, a third strike hit the building, throwing Faraj into the street and trapping Khalil under the rubble.

Rescue efforts were delayed amid ongoing hostilities. Faraj was eventually evacuated, but Khalil's body was not recovered until hours later. Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli fire prevented an ambulance from reaching the scene, an allegation denied by Israel's military, which said the incident is under review.

Faraj believes they were deliberately targeted and noted that Khalil had previously received threats. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for an international investigation, stressing that journalists are protected as civilians under international humanitarian law. According to Lebanon's information ministry, nine journalists have been killed since the latest conflict began in March, with nearly 2,500 people killed overall in Lebanon.