TURKEY PERSPECTIVE

Daily Sabah reveals a detail that Western media euphemize: Ali Shoaib, whom the IDF accuses of being a "Hezbollah operative," was an Al-Manar correspondent for nearly thirty years. Thirty years covering southern Lebanon. Daily Sabah implicitly poses the question: is a journalist covering a conflict zone for three decades a combatant or a witness? The Israeli military made its claim "without providing any evidence" — the Times' own words that Daily Sabah emphasizes.

Daily Sabah headlines "continued targeting of media" — the word "continued" transforms an incident into systematic policy. The Turkish outlet compiles: the three Lebanon deaths plus the CNN assault in the West Bank equals a pattern. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is cited: "By deliberately targeting these three media professionals, the State of Israel has once again committed a serious violation of international humanitarian law." The IFJ calls for an "independent international investigation."

The irony an informed reader notes: Turkey, ranked 149th of 180 by Reporters Without Borders, denounces press freedom violations with conviction that its own jailed journalists probably do not share. But the irony does not invalidate the fact: three journalists died in a clearly identified press vehicle.