Rabie Al-Maamari
ربيع المعماري

Killed by Israel on 21 Nov 2023

Archivist Notes

Rabie Al Maamari, born in 1979, was a Lebanese camera operator for Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen TV, was killed on November 21, along with his colleague Farah Omar, in an Israeli airstrike on Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon, according to Al-Mayadeen, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and multiple news reports.

Al Maamari and Al-Mayadeen were covering back-and-forth fire on the Tayr Harfa/Al-Jebin triangle in southern Lebanon between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group, these sources said. An Israeli warplane fired two rockets on Farah and Rabih's location, about a mile from the Israeli border. Farah and Rabih had just ended a live broadcast at 10 a.m., giving updates on the latest Israeli bombardment in South Lebanon. They were targeted soon after they wrapped up their coverage and went off air.

Maamari's wife and mother of his two children said in a television interview after his death was announced, "Rabi' insisted on returning to the south. He was excited to be there, and he contacted me minutes ago... We are ready to sacrifice for the cause and the homeland, and Rabi's martyrdom is an honor for us."

Al Maamari was a father of two children. He joined Al-Mayadeen in 2012. He was buried in Beirut’s southern suburbs on November 22, 2023.

Al-Mayadeen said in a statement that it believes its journalists were deliberately targeted because of its pro-Palestinian views. Ghassan Bin Jiddo, the channel’s director, said live on air that it will pursue an investigation, adding that “Israel by this is sending a message to Al-Mayadeen after deciding to close it in Occupied Palestine.” On November 12, Israel’s security cabinet had approved a decision to shut down Al-Mayadeen TV in Israel. The move followed emergency regulations passed the previous month, enabling the government to close foreign news outlets deemed to be harming national security, as reported by The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati alleged in a statement that the strike was an Israeli attempt to silence the media.

According to The Associated Press, the Israeli military said its soldiers took action against an alleged threat posed by a weapons launching area in southern Lebanon, and that the attack was under review.

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Sources:
https://cpj.org/data/people/rabih-al-maamari/
https://www.bbc.com/arabic/articles/c03e5r21npzo