On September 25, 2024, Kamel Karaki, a cameraman for Al-Manar TV who had worked for the channel for over 25 years, was killed by an alleged Israeli airstrike on the town of Al Wantara in Southern Lebanon. The alleged airstrike reportedly hit Kamel’s home and caused widespread destruction in the area.

Multiple sources confirmed Kamel’s death. A post by @Sa7atPlBreaking reported that Kamel was killed in an airstrike attributed to Israeli forces. Similarly, Al-Quds News described his death as a result of “an Israeli raid” which “martyred” him.  Posts by Elnashra News and @GhaNews5 also corroborated this, with Elnashra News noting that Karaki’s death was caused by a direct hit on Qantara by an Israeli airstrike.

Social media accounts shared personal tributes to Kamel, highlighting his professional achievements and the loss felt by his colleagues. Ali Kamel Karaki, identified as Kamel’s son, expressed his pride in being “the son of Hajj Kamel”: “I have been proud all my life to be “the son of Hajj Kamel.” Ali attached a photograph of him with his father, both smiling at the camera.

@mohamadkazzan reflected on working alongside Karaki since 2002, calling him “the best companion at work” and emphasizing his dedication to covering both joyous and tragic moments. A Photograph shared by Al-Quds News shows Kamel smiling as he watches the monitor on a video camera.

Other posts contextualized Kamel’s death within a broader pattern of journalists being killed in the region. Al-Manar is owned and operated by Hezbollah. Kamel has been categorised by Airwars as a civilian, given that information available online did not indicate connection between Kamel and Hezbollah militant activities. Kamel shares a surname with prominent Hezbollah militant Ali Karaki who was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27th 2024, however he is not known to be connected.

Where sources identified belligerents, all sources attributed the airstrike to the Israeli military.