Drone Strike Traps Lebanese Photojournalist Under Rubble

A 21-year-old photojournalist survived a missile strike in southern Lebanon that killed her 42-year-old colleague, leaving her trapped under rubble for an unknown period. Zeinab Faraj and Amal Khalil were documenting the aftermath of the war in the village of al-Tiri on the afternoon of 22 April. They were part of a small group that also included Ali Nabil Bazzi, 27, a municipal official, and Mohammed Hourani, 37, a friend of the mayor. The group had met earlier that day at Tebnine governmental hospital, a location residents used as a safe base for travel.

Faraj stated that she did not hear the first missile until Khalil began screaming. The car carrying Bazzi and Hourani was struck and caught fire. Khalil and Faraj exited their vehicle to check on the others. Faraj recalled seeing the bodies of the two men torn apart. Khalil repeated the phrase, “Oh God, they’re gone,” as the women realized the extent of the damage.

Drones then appeared overhead. Faraj described the aircraft as flying low and close. She attempted to cover her face, but the drones would fly back up when she shielded herself. The women made frantic calls to emergency services, who assured them help was en route. Faraj compared these assurances to an anaesthetic, noting they briefly numbed the reality of their situation. A paramedic on the line instructed them to drive back up the road because ambulances could not reach their position.

As the women tried to re-enter their car, a second missile struck the vehicle. Both were thrown backward, with Khalil wrapping her arms around Faraj. Khalil hoped the drone would think they were dead. They took shelter in a nearby house. Khalil had visible injuries to her face, hand, and leg. Faraj sent a final text message to her sister before her phone died, writing, “There’s no hope left. Forgive me.”

Inside the house, the women sat on a bathroom floor. Khalil could not move, so Faraj crawled to a position where she could watch the road. A drone descended toward her, causing her heart to stop. She returned inside and felt detached from the event. A third missile fell, producing a sound Faraj described as completely different from previous strikes. She lost consciousness. When she woke, an enormous weight pressed down on her body, and she was trapped under rubble.

Faraj heard a voice she initially thought was her father, but it was a paramedic who had reached the scene. She clung to him, saying, “Don’t leave me. I’m afraid to stay alone.” He stayed beside her while a second paramedic cleared the debris. As drones returned, the team pulled Faraj free. She heard a stun grenade dropped by a drone during the extraction. In the ambulance, she repeatedly mistook the vehicle's sounds for drones, repeating that they would not make it.

At the hospital, Faraj asked about Khalil. Nurses initially tried to reassure her but eventually fell silent. Faraj said that silence confirmed Khalil was gone. Khalil is believed to have died about an hour before paramedics were allowed to return to the area after rescuing Faraj.

The Israeli military stated the attack targeted saboteurs violating the ceasefire. Human rights groups called the strike a war crime. The military had received repeated messages urging them to allow a rescue operation while the women were in the building. A week prior, an Israeli military spokesperson had shared a video of Khalil published by her newspaper, describing it as “terrorist media.” Khalil had also received death threats from Israeli numbers.

Faraj is now preparing to return to university. She still struggles to walk properly and has visible injuries to her hand. An injury to her face affects the movement of one eyebrow. She wakes at night screaming and buries herself in pillows, fearing another missile strike. She remains haunted by the image of Hourani lying on the ground with his eyes open.

The incident occurred one month after Israel agreed to a ceasefire following deadly airstrikes across Lebanon. Southern villages had been demolished during the conflict. Residents had hoped the truce would allow them to return home or assess the damage. The strike in al-Tiri happened during a visit intended to document that aftermath.