The New Dark Age

On March 28, 2026, the armed wing of the Zionist entity committed a new crime against humanity in southern Lebanon. A selective bombing against a civilian vehicle in the Jezzine region claimed the lives of three press workers: our comrade Fatima Ftouni, from Al Mayadeen; our fellow comrade Ali Shoaib, correspondent for Al-Manar; and also, journalist Mohamad Ftouni, Fatima’s brother and freelance cameraman.

It was neither an “error” nor “collateral damage.” It was a deliberate assassination of those who were carrying out the sacred duty of truthfully reporting from the front lines of the Resistance. As the Lebanese government has denounced before the United Nations, this constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which protects journalists in times of war. The occupying army itself acknowledged carrying out the attack but tried to justify it with the same false and infamous script it has used for decades: accusing the martyrs of being “members of Hezbollah intelligence.”

Martyrs of truth and Resistance

Fatima Ftouni was a brave reporter, recognized for her objective coverage from occupied territories and areas under constant aggression. Minutes before the attack, she had done a live broadcast from southern Lebanon, bringing the truth to Al Mayadeen‘s screens. But there was something else that made her extraordinary: just 25 days before her murder, she had reported on the death of seven members of her own family in an Israeli bombing. Fatima said at the time, pointing to the rubble: “This is the state of the building that contains four apartments full of people, and they are indeed members of my family.” That was Fátima: a journalist who not only reported from a place of pain but lived that pain in her own flesh.

Ali Sheaib was an icon of the resistance press, a correspondent for Al-Manar, a media outlet of great proximity to the Resistance. He is described by his colleagues as “an absolute legend” and “an icon of resistance media.” Al Manar, in its tribute, defined him as “a true media front” who accompanied generations of fighters from the liberation of the south in 2000 to the present day.

Mohamad Ftouni accompanied them with his camera, also fulfilling the mission of showing the world the reality of the Zionist aggression. As Fatima’s brother, he shared not only her blood but also her commitment to the very last moment.

Hezbollah categorically denied the Zionist lie, calling it a desperate attempt to “evade responsibility for this crime.” The Islamic Resistance declared the three communicators as martyrs, stating that “people like Ali, Fatima, and Mohamad do not die physically, but rather become enduring icons, whose legacy is told through every victory they forged with their words and documented with their cameras.”

Terror against the press

This attack is not an isolated incident. It is part of a systematic policy of the Zionist state, with the unconditional backing of US imperialism, to silence the voices that denounce its crimes.

Since the beginning of the current offensive against Lebanon and Palestine, more than a dozen journalists have been killed in Lebanese territory simply for working for outlets like Al Mayadeen or Al-Manar. In October 2024, three reporters from those same media fell in Hasbaya. In November 2023, two others from Al Mayadeen were killed in another bombing in the south. And just nine days ago, another journalist from Al-Manar, Mohammed Sherri, was killed in Beirut.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented that, during 2025, 129 press workers were killed worldwide, two-thirds by Israeli fire. CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah, denounced “a worrying pattern” in which “Israel” accuses journalists of being combatants without providing credible evidence, a mechanism to legitimize its criminal executions.

Since October 13, 2023, 28 Lebanese journalists have been killed by “Israel”, along with more than 234 Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed in 2022, was just a preview of what was to come. As the British left-wing outlet, The Canary has noted: “If these war crimes tell us anything, it is that Israel intentionally attacks journalists everywhere it can, and that journalism is as important as taking up arms on the path of resisting colonialism.”

The complicity of Yankee imperialism

While the Zionists intensify their offensive, the United States government not only finances and arms the occupying army, but actively participates in the aggression. Since February 28, Washington and Tel Aviv launched the so-called “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran, an aggressive war that has assassinated the Iranian Leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and more than 1,200 Iranian civilians, injuring another 10,000.

But far from being subdued, Iran has delivered a forceful response that has shaken the foundations of the imperial order in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the operation as “Operation Epic Mistake,” a “grave misadventure” orchestrated by “Israel” and paid for by American taxpayers. And words have been accompanied by actions: the Islamic Republic has launched missile and drone attacks against US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for an offensive against the Al-Udeiri US base (Camp Buehring) in Kuwait, destroying fuel tanks, logistical installations, and a helicopter ramp, as well as against naval bases in Mina Salman (Bahrain), Camp Patriot, and the Mohammed Al-Ahmad and Ali Al-Salem bases in Kuwait.

The Iranian response has also reached numerous Zionist targets. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reminded the aggressors of the millennia-old history of his nation: “Iran is the heir to a civilization of at least 6,000 years. Throughout the trials of history, no power has ever managed to erase this name. Those who harbour the illusion of destroying Iran know nothing of history. The aggressors have come and gone; Iran has endured.”

Minister Araghchi has further warned that Iran has “many surprises” prepared for the United States and “Israel”, while the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil transits, has been closed to maritime traffic in retaliation for the aggression, except in cases where they authorize transit to selected countries, never to those complicit in these brutal attacks. Oil prices have doubled, surpassing $116 per barrel, and international airlines have cancelled more than 37,000 flights due to the closure of regional airspace.

The alliance between Yankee imperialism and Zionism is the same one that for over six decades has vainly tried to break the Cuban Revolution, now with more force than ever. Cuba, drawing on the principles of internationalist solidarity bequeathed to us by the Apostle of our independence, José Martí, and the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, raises its voice to condemn this vile murder and to salute the resistance of the Iranian people against imperial aggression. Our Homeland has consistently been a defender of the Palestinian and Lebanese cause and has denounced the genocidal nature of Israeli policy in all international forums. As our Commander-in-Chief stated: “The press is a weapon of truth.” Attacking the press is attacking truth itself.

Solidarity with the Resistance

Zionist aggression makes no distinction between journalists, medical personnel, or civilians. On the same day as the attack against Fatima, Ali, and Mohamad, nine paramedics were killed in five Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, including four from the Islamic Health Committee and five from the Risala Scouts who were on duty. Since the start of the offensive on March 2, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported 1,189 dead, including dozens of health workers. The World Health Organization confirmed that in March 2026 alone, 51 health workers have fallen under Zionist fire.

Despite the disparity in forces, the Resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, and the entire region remains firm. The Coordination of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which brings together an alliance of armed factions, has warned that any hostile movement towards Lebanon will be considered an open declaration of war by all forces of the Axis of Resistance, and has begun to strengthen its presence and operational coordination with its allies in the region to face any scenario of conflict expansion.

Hezbollah, for its part, has intensified its operations on the Lebanese front, launching more than 100 projectiles into northern “Israel” in coordination with Iranian attacks. In the last 24 hours, the Axis of Resistance is reported to have executed more than 200 coordinated actions across different scenarios, including Hezbollah operations on the Lebanese front and actions by allied militias in Iraq, demonstrating regional coordination in direct confrontation with US and Israeli interests.

The Houthis of Yemen have actively joined the war in support of Tehran. Today, March 28, they claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack against military targets in southern “Israel”, an intervention that consolidates the expansion of the conflict beyond traditional borders.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has extended its operations beyond “Israel”, attacking US military infrastructure in multiple Gulf countries. In recent weeks, Iran has struck US bases and radar systems with missiles and drones in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Among the confirmed targets are the Al Azraq base in Jordan, the Sheikh Isa base in Bahrain, the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases in Kuwait, and the sophisticated early warning radar system at Al-Udeid in Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region.

The Axis of Resistance remains united against imperialist aggression. That is the response that oppressed peoples give to those who seek to forcibly impose a new colonial order in the Middle East.

Truth Does Not Die

The murder of Fatima Ftouni, Ali Shoaib, and Mohamad Ftouni will not succeed in silencing the voices denouncing the crimes of Zionism. As our Apostle José Martí taught, “death is not truth when the work of life has been well fulfilled.” They fulfilled the work of objectively reporting reality from the trenches of the resistance.

Fatima, with great reason, warned in her final message: “International laws and organizations cannot stop an occupier that has killed tens of thousands in Gaza and Lebanon due to their indifference and inaction. That occupier only understands the language of force.” That force she demanded is none other than the unity of the peoples and organized resistance.

Al-Manar, in its tribute to Ali Shoaib, sealed a commitment that we all share who believe another world is possible: “Al-Manar commits itself, before the blood of our esteemed colleague, the martyr Ali Shoeib, and all journalists martyred on the path of truth, to remain firm in its principles and values, no matter the cost, and to continue the work of transmitting the truth until victory.”

From revolutionary Cuba, we join the mourning of the Lebanese people and the demand for justice. We reaffirm our commitment to the fight against imperialism and Zionism, and to the defense of press freedom as an inseparable part of national liberation.

As long as a single communicator remains willing to tell the truth, the cause of Fatima, Ali, and Mohamad will remain alive.

Ever onward to victory!