Israel targeted and killed well-known Lebanese Al-Akhbar correspondent Amal Khalil on April 23 after she received death threat messages from an Israeli number WhatsApp number.

Khalil and Zeinab Faraj, a freelance photojournalist, were both on assignment in southern Lebanon, reporting on recent attacks on the southern village of at-Tiri and Bint Jbeil.

The killing occurred during a 10-day US-brokered ceasefire that was supposed to remain in effect until April 26.

According to Al-Akhbar, which published a timeline of the events, the car they were driving behind was targeted by an Israeli drone at 2:45 pm, killing two men inside. Khalil and Faraj took shelter in a nearby house in at-Tiri.

At 2:50pm Khalil contacted her editors and family, according to Lebanon-based journalist Courtney Bonneau.

News of the incident quickly spread, prompting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to put out a statement calling on the Red Cross to rescue the two journalists in coordination with the Lebanese Army and the United Nations.

At 4:20pm, the house where the two journalists were taking refuge was bombed by the Israeli military and contact with the journalists was lost, according to Al-Akhbar.

The two journalists were trapped in a house which was then targeted by Israeli drones, according to local reports. AS the rescue teams approached they were also fired on by Israeli forces.

Israel did not respond to requests for access, obstructing any rescue operation, according to a Lebanese military official speaking to Al Jazeera.

The Red Cross was eventually granted limited access to the site, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which remained under active fire.

The Red Cross was able to evacuate Faraj, who reportedly sustained serious head injuries, and to recover the bodies of two other civilians who were killed in the house. But they were forced to withdraw before finding Khalil because of continued shelling and the direct firing on rescue crews and vehicles.

The journalist Faraj was taken to the Tubnin Governmental Hospital but their vehicle was hit by Israeli gunfire as it left according to the state-run National News Agency.

The Red Cross was eventually able to return to the area after which Khalil’s body was found in the rubble and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Threatening messages

Al-Akhbar published the contents to the messages sent to Khalil before she died.

“We know where you are… we will reach you… leave if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.”

“Alright, my lady, you are moving from one village to another, but you still haven’t gone to enough funerals or hospitals. There is a lot of grief & sorrow behind that smile you try to show on Twitter. Let’s see what your answer will be… Is your house still standing, Anisa (Miss)? I hope so?”

“We know where you are & we will reach you when the time comes. Even though you are not important to us, in the end we will take everything into account. I suggest you flee to Qatar or somewhere else if you want to keep your head connected to your shoulders :)”

After the car behind the two journalists was hit, killing its occupants, they took shelter in the house. Khalil contacted the Red Cross before her phone died. Her last message confirmed she was still safe.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of crimes against humanity. President Joseph Aoun said: "Israel deliberately targets journalists in order to conceal the truth about its crimes against Lebanon. Intentionally targeting civilians is a war crime," Al Monitor reported.

Israel denied the accusations, saying its forces had seen two vehicles coming from a "military structure" it said was used by Hezbollah, and that "terrorists" in the vehicles approached in a threatening manner. It said it attacked one vehicle and a building from which individuals had fled, and that details of the incident were under review. It also insisted it had not prevented rescue teams from accessing the area.

The Committee to Protect Journalists' regional director Sara Qudah specifically called out "the repeated strikes on the same location, the targeting of an area where journalists were sheltering" as particularly alarming.

Critics have accused Israel of committing a mounting number of atrocities in Lebanon, including targeting journalists and first aid responders in deliberate and deadly attacks many of which have been well documented. The targeting of ambulance is confirmed by multiple sources. Lebanon's health ministry accused Israel of "obstructing rescue operations" and "targeting an ambulance clearly bearing the Red Cross symbol," Al-Monitor reports.

Born in 1984, Khalil has covered southern Lebanon for Al-Akhbar since the 2006 war and is a well-known face on Lebanese TV. In an interview earlier this year she said: "I debunk the enemy's narrative of targeting only military sites by showing evidence of them bombing homes, farms, and killing children. Through my work, I have tried to be in solidarity with these people — the people of the land."

Khalil is the fourth journalist killed by Israel in Lebanon since March. On March 28, three journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the south, prompting UN experts to call for an international investigation. Al Akhbar is described as a left-leaning, pro-Hezbollah newspaper — context that Israel will likely invoke in its defence.