The Washington Post apologized for a headline it published on its front page that focused on Israel's retaliatory strikes in Lebanon and which was paired with a photograph from the funeral of a child who was murdered in the Majdal Shams massacre.
The original headline, “Israel hits its targets in Lebanon," was placed underneath a large photograph from the funeral of Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din, an 11-year-old girl who was one of 12 children who were murdered when they were struck by a Hezbollah rocket while playing on a soccer field on Saturday. The headline focused on Israel's reaction to the massacre instead of the murder of the 12 children.
In an editor's note on Tuesday, the Post stated that "the headline and subheadline that accompanied a July 29 Page One photo and article about Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon did not provide adequate context."
“The headlines should have noted that the Israeli strikes were a response to a rocket strike from Lebanon that killed 12 teenagers and children in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The photo depicted mourning for one of those victims, as the caption noted," the editor's note stated.
The Washington Post was widely criticized for the headline it used.
The IDF wrote on X, “You can see the grieving family members burying children murdered by Hezbollah in the Madjal Shams massacre. If by chance you understood anything else from their headline, you might not be the problem.”
Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also stated, “The front-page image of today’s Washington Post is that of a child murdered by Hezbollah. “Yet the front-page headline — ‘Israel Hits Targets in Lebanon’ — portrays Israel, not Hezbollah, as the aggressor."
Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman rewteeted a post calling the headline a "new low" for the Washington Post.