Zeinab Faraj Survives Lebanon Strike That Killed Colleague Amal Khalil

Zeinab Faraj, a 21-year-old photojournalist, survived a series of drone and missile strikes in Lebanon on April 22, 2026, that killed her colleague, Amal Khalil. The attack occurred shortly after Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Lebanon in mid-April, a truce that allowed many residents to return to the south to assess the damage from a month of airstrikes.

Faraj and Khalil, a 42-year-old newspaper reporter, were documenting the aftermath in the village of al-Tiri. They had met earlier that day at Tebnine governmental hospital, where they also encountered Ali Nabil Bazzi, a 27-year-old municipal official from Bint Jbeil, and Mohammed Hourani, a 37-year-old friend of the mayor. Bazzi was returning to sign a marriage contract that evening but joined the group for the drive south. Faraj, who was finishing a degree in radio and TV, described the trip as routine and stated she felt no fear despite hearing gunfire and artillery.

As the group neared al-Tiri, a missile struck the car ahead of Faraj. She heard Khalil scream before seeing the vehicle catch fire. Faraj attempted to pull Bazzi from the wreckage, but Khalil insisted the men were gone. Drones soon arrived, flying at low altitudes. Faraj described one drone coming so close to her face that she tried to cover it, only for it to rise again. Emergency services promised help, a reassurance Faraj said worked "like an anaesthetic." A paramedic advised them to drive up the road because ambulances were blocked, but their car was hit by a missile as they tried to enter it.

The impact threw both women backward, with Khalil wrapping her arms around Faraj. They sheltered in a nearby house where Khalil, injured in the face, hand, and leg, could not move. Faraj sent a final message to her sister before her phone died, writing, "There's no hope left. Forgive me." A paramedic later held Faraj by the shoulders while a second cleared debris. They pulled her out as drones returned and a stun grenade was dropped. In the ambulance, Faraj mistook the engine for a drone. Khalil is believed to have died about an hour before paramedics were allowed back to the area.

The Israeli military stated it had identified saboteurs violating the ceasefire. Human rights groups called the attack a war crime, noting the military received repeated messages requesting a rescue window. A week prior to the strike, an Israeli military spokesperson had labeled Khalil's work "terrorist media" and shared a video of her published by her newspaper. 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 a visibly injured hand, with a facial injury affecting the movement of one eyebrow. She wakes at night screaming and remains on edge when she hears drones. Faraj is haunted by the sight of Hourani on the ground, his eyes open and looking at her.