The Media Accountability Project  

Describing Iran as Hezbollah’s “masters” strips Lebanese actors of political agency. The term masters is at best a provocative term, and at worst its flatour incendiary. In either case, its usage constitutes a strong expression of slanted personal opinion. The purpose of analysis articles, according to the JSP, is to offer readers insights “based on facts.” We believe this framing sacrifices the intent of analysis in favor of polarizing sensationalism.

The Canadian Association of Journalists’ Ethics Guidelines emphasize that accuracy is a fundamental pillar of responsible journalism. The article should therefore be corrected to clearly identify Israel’s attacks on medical and humanitarian personnel for what they are: violations of international law that constitute war crimes.

The claim that Lebanon was “dragged into this war” is therefore misleading, as the Israeli forces had already been conducting near-daily airstrikes in the south. I also write in good faith and from lived experience. My family, like many other Lebanese families, has been affected by Israel’s ceasefire violations since November 2024.

"Based on the abundant information available about Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon that was available even at the time this Associated Press article went to press, it should be revised to include that not only that 'attacks in Iran and Gulf Arab countries resumed on Wednesday,' but also, that Israel continued to attack Lebanon after the ceasefire was announced on Tuesday and Wednesday."

From November 2024 to March 1, 2026, Israel carried out consistent aerial strikes in the south of Lebanon, targeted assassinations, and the occupation of five strategic points, alongside more than 10,000 documented violations. Over 300 Lebanese were killed, kidnappings persisted, and reconstruction efforts were blocked. At no point was there a genuine ceasefire; rather, what existed functioned as “ceasefire warfare,” serving as a cover for ongoing artillery shelling.

On March 4, 2026, CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa sent a letter of concern to the editorial teams at the Toronto Star and the Associated Press regarding their article titled “Israeli military orders immediate evacuations in southern Lebanon as strikes on Beirut intensify.” 

The original article framed Israel’s military actions primarily through evacuation orders and retaliatory strikes, while failing to properly contextualize Israel’s prior invasion of Lebanon, its continued occupation of Lebanese territory, and its almost daily violations of the ceasefire between the two countries that has been in effect since 2024.

Following CJPME’s pressure, the article was revised with a new headline, “Israel warns residents in dozens of Lebanese border villages to evacuate as strikes intensify,” and expanded background on the conflict. 

The updated version now acknowledges that Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon during the 2024 war and continues to occupy five positions on Lebanese territory despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The revised reporting also notes that Israel carried out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period, which killed nearly 400 people.

Importantly, the revised article also incorporated Hezbollah’s stated rationale for its strikes on Monday March 2nd. 

The piece now quotes Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem explaining that the group launched rockets in response to Israel’s continued occupation and military attacks, stating: “As long as the occupation is present, then the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right.”

CJPME thanks the Toronto Star and the Associated Press for improving the context and balance of their reporting. These revisions provide readers with a clearer understanding of the escalation in Lebanon and represent a meaningful step toward more accurate coverage of the region.

"The headline obscures the most essential fact of this developing story which is that Israel has invaded southern Lebanon, in clear violation of Lebanese sovereignty. A headline that centers Israeli military directives rather than the act of cross-border invasion misleads readers about the nature of the escalation."

The first being that the attack on Sidon’s commercial area was part of a series of Israeli attacks on villages in southern Lebanon over a period of 24-48 hours. The attacks forced many civilians to flee their homes once again.

On October 26, 2025, CJPME media analyst Anthony Issa was published in the Globe and Mail in response to an op-ed titled "The dream of a better Lebanon remains afloat," by Dany H. Assaf. The response was published as a letter to the editor in The Globe and Mail, helping to challenge misleading “both-sides” framing and re-centre accountability in coverage of Israel’s war on Lebanon.

Issa challenged the article’s framing of Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon as a “war between Israel and Hezbollah.” He argued that this language creates a false symmetry between a powerful state military and a non-state actor, obscuring Israel’s overwhelming responsibility for the scale of devastation in Lebanon.

He also challenged the article’s call for disarmament as a path to Lebanese "national renewal," arguing that such framing disregards Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese territory and Lebanon’s right to sovereignty.

We thank the Globe and Mail for giving us the ability to challenge mainstream narratives that often overlook alternative perspectives on Lebanon. 

CJPME will continue to confront biased narratives and demand fair, fact-based reporting on Lebanon.

"The language used in headlines plays a critical role in shaping public perception. By framing the situation as a "tense ceasefire" rather than highlighting Israel's active violations, the headline misrepresents the situation and fails to hold Israel accountable for its violations."