AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Three journalists were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon today. The guest house where they had been staying with other journalists came under attack in the early morning. NPR's Arezou Rezvani spoke with one of them who survived the air strikes.
AREZOU REZVANI, BYLINE: The journalists would spend their days in southern Lebanon, pretty much at the front lines of the war between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. They'd spend their nights at a guest house in the small town of Hasbaiyya, away from the fighting. It felt safe there. It had become a refuge for many journalists from international news organizations, including Sky News Arabia and Al Jazeera, and it hadn't been a target of Israeli airstrikes before. The journalists made sure their cars were clearly labeled press. And as an added precaution, many had also given their whereabouts to U.N. peacekeepers, who are typically in contact with Israeli military.
Hassan Hoteit of Al-Qahira News was among the group of journalists. He said, after a long day, many had turned in early for the night. And then, at 3 a.m., it happened.
HASSAN HOTEIT: (Through interpreter) I woke up to the sound of loud rattling and glass shattering. And suddenly, I felt a great weight upon my body. I couldn't move. I couldn't move at all. And I thought, this is the moment that could be the moment of my death.
REZVANI: Other surviving journalists pulled Hoteit out from under the rubble, but cameraman Ghassan al-Najjar (ph), camera operator Wissam Qassem and engineer Mohamed Reda (ph) were all killed. They worked for broadcasters Al-Manar, a network operated by Hezbollah, and Al Mayadeen, a pro-Iran, pro-Palestinian news channel. Hoteit believes Israel is going after journalists for their coverage of this war, here in Lebanon and in Gaza. And he believes Israel's military has free rein to do so.
HOTEIT: (Through interpreter) With Israel, there are no normal rules of engagement. They say, when you are fighting an enemy, leave them a path to retreat so that they don't become vicious. Israel has no respect for that, even though they have superiority. They struck us while we were sleeping. But those who massacre children, it's easy for them to kill journalists.
REZVANI: Hoteit is now recovering from his injuries at a hospital in Beirut. He has the TV on - it's turned to the news. He's watching coverage of the very airstrike he survived. Lebanon's information minister said the attack was deliberate and called the deaths a war crime. Israel's military says it hit a Hezbollah military structure in the same town where Hoteit and the others were attacked today. It said it later learned that journalists were among the casualties and added, quote, "the incident is under review."
Arezou Rezvani, NPR News, Beirut. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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