Overview

• On August 6, the AP published a visual feature profiling six individuals wounded by Israel’s September 17, 2024 pager bombing of Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon.
• The survivors include combatants, relatives and support staff who recount severe injuries such as lost eyes and fingers, underscoring the personal toll of the covert operation.
• Conservative lawmakers and right-leaning media figures, including Rep. Claudia Tenney, have denounced the coverage as a sympathetic portrayal of terrorists.
• The AP says it conducted interviews independently without Hezbollah minders and affirms its commitment to documenting the human impact of the attack.
• The dispute highlights wider debates over the ethics of humanizing injured militants, the legality of booby-trap warfare and the role of journalism in covering designated terrorist groups.