Israel’s “Deliberate” Attack on Journalists in Lebanon Used US Bomb Kit, Investigation Reveals

A prominent global human rights group reported on Monday that Israel’s lethal bombing of a Lebanese residential area, which was home to journalists, last month was executed using a munition guidance kit supplied by the United States.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) concluded from its investigation that the strike on October 25 in southern Lebanon, which happened in the early morning while many journalists were asleep, was “most likely a deliberate attack on civilians and an apparent war crime.”

The investigative team from HRW visited the Hasbaya Village Club Resort, the location of the strike, and found no signs that the compound was being used for military purposes. This challenges Israel’s initial justification that it targeted a facility from which “terrorists were operating.”

Additionally, HRW examined evidence suggesting that the Israeli military “knew or should have known” that journalists were present at the compound. Journalists at the location during the attack reported that the Israeli military had not given any prior warning.

“All signs point to this being a deliberate targeting of journalists: a war crime.”

The airstrike resulted in the deaths of at least three journalists and injuries to several others. Debris collected at the strike site by the resort’s owner was “consistent” with Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), which are provided to the Israeli military by the U.S.

One piece of debris, according to HRW, “carried a numerical code indicating it was produced by Woodard, a U.S. company that manufactures components for munition guidance systems.” Boeing, a major U.S. military contractor, produces and markets JDAMs, which are designed to enhance the accuracy of airstrikes.

Other debris examined by HRW matched materials from a 500-pound bomb fitted with a JDAM.

A piece of bomb debris recovered after Israel’s October 25, 2024 attack. (Photo: Anoir Ghaida via Human Rights Watch)

Richard Weir, a senior researcher at HRW, stated on Monday that “Israel’s use of U.S. weaponry to unlawfully attack and kill journalists away from any military target casts a dark shadow over both the United States and Israel.”

“We have seen previous deadly attacks on journalists by the Israeli military with no repercussions, offering little hope for accountability in this and future violations against the media,” Weir commented. “With growing evidence of Israel’s unlawful use of U.S. weapons, including in apparent war crimes, it is crucial for U.S. officials to decide if they will adhere to U.S. and international law by stopping arms sales to Israel or risk being implicated in serious violations.”

The Guardian also conducted its own investigation into the Israeli strike and reached similar findings as HRW, reporting Monday that “Israel used a U.S. munition to target and kill three journalists and wound three.”

“On October 25 at 3:19 am, an Israeli jet dropped two bombs on a chalet housing three journalists—cameraman Ghassan Najjar and technician Mohammad Reda from the pro-Hezbollah network al-Mayadeen, along with cameraman Wissam Qassem from the Hezbollah-linked outlet al-Manar,” noted the newspaper. “All three were killed in their sleep by the attack, which also injured three other journalists from various outlets nearby. There was no conflict in the area prior to or at the time of the strike.”

Nadim Houry, a human rights attorney and the executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative, told The Guardian that “every indication suggests that this was a deliberate targeting of journalists: a war crime.”

“It was clearly understood that this was a location where journalists were staying,” Houry emphasized.

These conclusions were released just days after the U.S. Senate rejected a proposition led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to halt new sales of American weapons to Israel. One of the proposed resolutions by Sanders would have blocked the immediate transfer of over $260 million in JDAMs to the Israeli military.

In a briefing document, Sanders’ office cited six instances where the Israeli military utilized JDAMs in fatal attacks on civilians in Gaza and Lebanon, including children.

“The United States is complicit in these atrocities,” Sanders declared in a speech on the Senate floor last week. “This complicity must end.”