Former Al-Alam TV Correspondent Among Four Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Southern Lebanon

BEIRUT: A former correspondent for Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam TV was killed along with three displaced civilians in an Israeli airstrike targeting southern Lebanon, amid continued tensions despite a ceasefire agreement.

According to local reports, the air raid struck a residential building in the Qiya’a neighbourhood of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon late Wednesday night.

Journalist Hussein Ezzeddine confirmed that veteran media worker Hussam Zaidan was among those killed in the attack. Three other civilians, reportedly internally displaced persons from southern Lebanon, also lost their lives.

The victims had reportedly fled from the town of Qalila to Sidon seeking safety from repeated Israeli bombardments in border regions.

Ezzeddine said efforts are underway to document the incident and expose what he described as an attack on civilians sheltering inside a residential area.

Initial reports indicated that at least four people were killed while six others sustained injuries in the strike. Zaidan’s son was also seriously wounded and remains in intensive care.

The latest attack comes despite a ceasefire that has been in place since April 17, as Israeli military operations continue in parts of southern Lebanon.

Hussam Zaidan previously served as a correspondent for Al-Alam TV in Syria from 2009 until the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.

During his years covering the Syrian conflict, Zaidan reported extensively from major battlefronts including Deir al-Zawr, Hama and Aleppo, documenting clashes between Syrian government forces and foreign-backed militant groups.

Following the fall of the Assad administration, Zaidan later worked as a news editor at the network’s headquarters in Tehran.

The Israeli military has not yet issued an official statement regarding the strike.