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Mohamed Sherry, 34, a journalist working for Lebanese broadcaster Al-Manar, was killed when an Israeli airstrike struck a residential building in the Hamra district of central Beirut. The Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned the killing and called for an immediate independent investigation.
The Killing: What Happened
Mohamed Sherry was killed on March 17, 2026, when an Israeli airstrike struck the building in the Hamra district of central Beirut where he lived and worked. He was pronounced dead at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. Two other residents of the building were also killed in the strike, and several others were wounded.
The building was a multi-family residential structure with no military installations. CPJ has found no evidence that it was used for military purposes. The Israeli military stated it had targeted a Hezbollah infrastructure asset in the area — a claim CPJ and Reporters Without Borders say requires independent verification.
A Devastating Toll on the Press
Sherry's death brings the number of journalists killed in Lebanon during the current conflict to an appalling figure. The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented a sharp increase in media casualties since the escalation of hostilities, including journalists killed in direct strikes, those caught in crossfire, and several cases under investigation.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned what it describes as a pattern of impunity in the killing of journalists in Lebanon, noting that no Israeli military official has been held accountable for any journalist death despite credible documentation of multiple incidents.
"Mohamed Sherry was doing his job — reporting the truth for his country. His death must not go uninvestigated or unanswered. Impunity for the killing of journalists is an attack on the freedom of the press everywhere."
— Committee to Protect Journalists, Statement on the Death of Mohamed Sherry
International Law and the Protection of Journalists
International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, explicitly protects journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict. They are considered civilians and may not be directly targeted unless they take a direct part in hostilities.
The UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015) specifically reaffirms the obligation of all parties to armed conflict to respect and protect journalists, media professionals, and associated personnel. It calls on states to ensure accountability for crimes committed against journalists.
Impunity and Its Consequences
Despite repeated calls for investigations into journalist killings in Lebanon, no credible independent inquiry has been established. The lack of accountability sends a deeply troubling signal: that journalists can be killed with impunity, whether through deliberate targeting, reckless disregard for civilian life, or failure to take adequate precautions.
CPJ's impunity index consistently identifies the Middle East as the region with the highest rates of unsolved journalist murders in the world. The killing of Sherry adds to a pattern that CPJ says has become normalized in a way that represents a fundamental threat to journalism in conflict zones.
Journalism in a War Zone: The Human Cost
The killing of Mohamed Sherry is a reminder that journalists covering armed conflict accept extraordinary personal risk to perform the essential democratic function of documenting what is happening — and bearing witness for the rest of the world.
Press freedom organizations have called on all parties to the conflict to immediately implement safety protocols for journalists and to cooperate with any independent investigation into the circumstances of Sherry's death.
Sources: Committee to Protect Journalists — cpj.org | Reporters Without Borders — rsf.org | International Federation of Journalists — ifj.org | UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015) — un.org
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