Attack on journalists in Lebanon | |
---|---|
Part of the killing of journalists in the Israel–Hamas war and the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) | |
Location | Lebanon and Syria |
Date | 13 October – present (1 year, 1 week and 6 days) |
Weapons | Missiles, tank guns |
Deaths | 6 journalists, 2 civilians |
Injured | 10+ |
Perpetrator | Israeli Defence Force |
Since the beginning of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict on 8 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces has killed six journalists and injured at least 15 others in multiple incidents near the Lebanon–Israel border and in Syria. Lebanese residents have also attacked journalists covering the war from Hezbollah controlled areas which injured multiple and one instance resulted in the death of a Lebanese civilian guide.
While a group of Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera journalists were transmitting a live video feed of an IDF outpost over a kilometre from Aalma ech Chaab, two tank rounds fired directly hit the group. The first killed Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah. The second strike was much more powerful and ignited the Al Jazeera vehicle, a white Toyota, which Al Jazeera journalists Carmen Joukhadar and Elie Brakhya, as well as their AFP colleague Dylan Collins were standing next to. [1] Reuters' photographer Christina Assi was also critically injured and had her leg amputated. [2] [3] Lebanon's army has said the IDF fired the missile that killed Abdallah. Another Reuters reporter at the scene said Abdallah was killed by projectiles fired from the direction of Israel. [4] His last post on Instagram, posted a week before he was killed, was a photograph of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist for Al Jazeera who had been killed by Israel in 2022. [5] [6]
A February 2024 report by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon concluded that an Israeli tank killed Abadallah when it fired at "clearly identifiable journalists", and that this broke international law. [7] The report "assessed that there was no exchange of fire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident", with no records of any exchange of fire across the border for the 40 minutes before the tank firing. [7] The Israel Defense Forces responded to the United Nations report by claiming that Hezbollah attacked them, so tank fire was used to retaliate. [7]
Another group of Lebanese journalists were hit by a strike meters away from them while reporting in the town of Yaroun [8] The incident was filmed live by Al Jadeed. The anchor was heard speaking to the live anchor Rif Akil after the strike. The anchor said, "It's clear the rocket has fallen just a few metres away from you It's clear this is a direct strike on journalists operating in Yaroun." as the camera filmed the site of the attack. [8] Only minor injuries were reported. [8]
While an Al-Mayadeen crew was covering the latest developments on the Lebanese-Israeli border near Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon, an Israeli tank targeted reporter Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Maamari from the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV. The artillery shelling led to the immediate deaths of Omar and Maamari. [9] [10] A guide alongside the journalists was also killed. Al Mayadeen said the attack was deliberate because of the channel's pro-Palestinian views. [11]
An Al-Manar cameraman was injured in the eye after an IDF attack on a road in the al-Khardali area where correspondents of MTV and the state-owned National News Agency were also passing. [12] The IDF heavily bombarded the Deir Mimas-Khardali River area and stopped civilians from passing the road by shelling close to the vehicles passing. [12]
Hezbollah's anti-tank missile hit next to Channel 13 News team while interviewing farmer at Dovev, in an article following a prior Hezbollah assault that killed a 56-year-old employee of the Israel Electric Corporation, and injured five workers who were repairing electric lines. [13]
The IDF conducted an extensive bombing operation, codenamed Northern Arrows, on sites in Lebanon. [14] During that, the editor-in-chief of Miraya International Network was injured while he was preparing for an interview after an Israeli missile crashed through his window in the Beqaa Valley. [15] [16] A Lebanese online editor for Al Mayadeen Hadi Al-Sayyed also died from wounds he sustained after an attack at his home. [17] On 25 September, Al Manar photojournalist Kamel Karaki died in a strike that targeted his hometown of Qantara. [18]
An Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria killed three civilians and injured nine others, according to the state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency. Among the dead was Syrian television anchor Safaa Ahmad. [19]
An Israeli strike on a compound housing 18 journalists from at least seven media organizations with a courtyard containing cars clearly marked with "press" in Hasbaya killed an engineer and a cameraman for Al Mayadeen and another cameraman for Al-Manar, and injured three others. [20] The attack was the deadliest on journalists in Lebanon since the conflict began. [21]
During the conflict, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claimed that the Israeli army had deliberately targeted journalists. [29] [30] [31] An RSF investigation said that Israel had targeted journalists in missile strikes on 13 October that killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah and injured four others. These two Israeli missile strikes, 30 seconds apart, hit a group of seven journalists in southern Lebanon who were reporting on the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In a video, the journalists are seen wearing vests and helmets identifying them as "PRESS". The marking was also present on the roof of their car, which exploded after being hit by the second missile. [32] According to the Council of Europe, the intentional targeting of journalists constitutes a war crime. [33]
The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), which tests and analyses munitions and weapons, assisted Reuters by examining the material collected at the site of the explosion of 13 October and found that the piece of metal was the fin of a 120 mm tank round fired 1.34 km away from the border fired from a smoothbore tank gun. [1] The TNO said that satellite images and a photo taken by Abdallah showed no signs of any previous attacks in their area which determines that the tailfin was significant investigating the attack. [1]
The TNO analyzed the recording from the Al Jazeera live feed of both strikes and a video recording from the Italian broadcaster RAI which shows the launch point of the second strike. Journalists from RAI were filming the cross-border shelling the same day of the attack from Alma ech Chaab where their camera was turned towards the sound of the blast. [1] Using the audio from the Al Jazeera broadcast they determined that the rounds were fired 1,343 metres away from the reporters and said that the sound signatures of both samples of the strikes matched indicating that the two tank rounds were fired from the same position. [1]
Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch held a joint press conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on 7 December where they revealed their findings of their investigations into the attack that killed Issam Abdallah and wounded six others on 13 October. They concluded that the group of journalists were hit by a tank round and said that it was a direct attack on civilians and were visibly identifiable as journalists which they called for it to be investigated as a war crime. [34] [35] After analysis they found that the firing point was at an Israeli position close to the village of Jordeikh which was positioned east of the journalists. [36] [34]
A February 2024 report by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon concluded that an Israeli tank killed Abadallah when it fired at "clearly identifiable journalists", and that this broke international law. [7] The report "assessed that there was no exchange of fire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident", with no records of any exchange of fire across the border for the 40 minutes before the tank firing. [7]
Speaking about Abdallah's death, Israeli military spokesperson Richard Hecht said, "we're very sorry", but did not confirm that Israeli shells had hit the journalists. [6] The Israeli military said it using tank and artillery fire in the vicinity to deter a potential infiltration from Lebanon at the time Issam Abdallah was killed. They stated that their actions were in response to Hezbollah fire along the Israel–Lebanon border, and the incident is currently being reviewed. [37] The Israeli army also initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Abdallah's death. [38]
Michael Downey, a journalist who works for The New York Times and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), commented on a video taken shortly before the incident: "No warning shot; that was intentional". [3]
Lebanon denounced the killing of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed during an Israeli artillery strike aimed at a group of reporters. Following Abdallah's death, the Lebanese army conducted an on-site assessment, affirming that Israel had launched the missile that killed him. [37] [39] Lebanon's Foreign Ministry has instructed its mission to the UN in Beirut to express deep concerns regarding what they perceive as a clear infringement on freedom of opinion and press. Additionally, Lebanon is preparing to file a formal complaint with the UN Security Council, accusing Israel of intentionally causing Abdallah's death. [40] [38]
List of journalists and civilians either killed or injured.
Date | Name | Description | News agency | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023-10-13 | Carmen Joukhadar | A Lebanese reporter who sustained major injuries and was hospitalized for weeks | Al Jazeera | [34] |
Christina Assi | A Lebanese photographer who sustained life-threatening injuries and remained in intensive care for weeks and had her leg amputated | AFP | [41] | |
Dylan Collins | An American photographer who was injured in the second strike while trying to help Assi. | AFP | [34] | |
Elie Brakhya | A Lebanese photojuornalist who sustained major injuries and was hospitalized for weeks | Al Jazeera | [34] | |
Issam Abdallah | A Lebanese videographer who was immediately killed in an Israeli artillery strike that targeted the group of reporters. | Reuters | [42] [43] | |
Maher Nazeh | An Iraqi photojuornalist who sustained minor injuries | Reuters | [34] | |
Thaer al-Sudani | An Iraqi photojuornalist who sustained minor injuries | Reuters | [34] | |
2023-11-13 | Issam Mawassi | A Lebanese videographer sustained minor injuries when the IDF attacked a group of journalists in Yaroun. | Al Jadeed | [44] |
2023-11-21 | Farah Omar | A Lebanese correspondent working for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Tayr Harfa area. | Al Mayadeen | [45] |
Hussein Aqeel | Civilian who was alongside the Al Mayadeen journalists who was their local guide. | (Civilian) | [46] | |
Rabih Al Maamari | A Lebanese cameraman working for Al Mayadeen was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Tayr Harfa area. | Al Mayadeen | [45] | |
2023-12-23 | Khodor Markiz | A Lebanese cameraman who was injured in the eye after an IDF attack near his vehicle. | Al Manar | [12] |
2024-9-23 | Fadi Boudiya | A Lebanese journalist injured after an Israeli missile crashed into his home. | Miraya International Network | [16] |
Hadi Al-Sayyed | A Lebanese online editor for Al Mayadeen died from wounds he sustained after an attack at his home. | Al Mayadeen | [17] | |
2024-9-25 | Kamel Karaki | A Lebanese photojournalist who was killed in his home town. | Al Manar | [18] |
2024-10-1 | Safaa Ahmad | A Syrian TV anchor who died in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus alongside two civilians. | Syrian Arab News Agency | [19] |
2024-10-2 | Robin Ramaekers | A Belgian journalist who suffered facial injuries after being assaulted by a group of men in Beirut. | VTM | [28] |
Stijn De Smet | A Belgian journalist who was shot on his leg in the same attack. | |||
2024-10-25 | Ghassan Najjar | A Lebanese cameraman killed in an airstrike on a residential compound in Hasbaya. | Al Mayadeen | [21] |
Mohammed Rida | A Lebanese engineer killed in the airstrike in Hasbaya. | |||
Wissam Qassim | A Lebanese cameraman killed in the airstrike in Hasbaya. | Al-Manar |
Al Mayadeen is a Lebanese pan-Arabist satellite news television channel based in the city of Beirut. Launched on 11 June 2012, it has news reporters in most of the Arab countries. In the pan-Arabist television news market, it competes against Qatar-owned Al Jazeera and Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, and also against Sky News Arabia and BBC News Arabic. At the time it was founded, most of the channel's senior staff were former correspondents and editors of Al Jazeera.
As a response to an Israeli attack against a military convoy comprising Hezbollah and Iranian officers on January 18, 2015, at Quneitra in southern Syria, the Lebanese Hezbollah group launched an ambush on January 28 against an Israeli military convoy in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, firing anti-tank missiles against two Israeli Humvees patrolling the border, destroying the two Humvees and killing 2 and wounding 7 Israeli soldiers, according to Israeli military. The number of Israeli casualties was 15 according to a report by Al Mayadeen television station. A Spanish UN peacekeeper was also killed by Israeli fire during consequent fire exchanges in the area, with Israel firing artillery and Hezbollah responding by mortar shells. The conflict ended later the same day after UNIFIL mediation.
Events in the year 2023 in Lebanon.
Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have exchanged fire along the Israel–Lebanon border and in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 8 October 2023. Israel has also carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon and in Syria. The conflict is part of the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war and is the largest escalation of the Hezbollah–Israel conflict since the 2006 Lebanon War.
Issam Abdallah was a Lebanese video journalist working for Reuters who was killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank-fire in southern Lebanon on 13 October 2023, while reporting in the context of the Israel–Hamas war.
The killing of journalists in the Israel–Hamas war, along with other acts of violence against journalists, marks the deadliest period for journalists in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict since 1992 and the deadliest conflict for journalists in the 21st century. As of September 2024, the Committee to Protect Journalists counted 116 journalists who were killed, and the International Federation of Journalists counted 134 journalists and media workers who were killed A July 2024 count by the Gaza government media office placed the number of Palestinian journalists killed at 160.
Events of the year 2024 in Israel.
Events in the year 2024 in Lebanon.
The Middle Eastern crisis is a series of conflicts and heightened instability in the Middle East which began with the 7 October attacks on Israel and the war that followed, leading to a major escalation of the existing tensions between Israel and Iran. This escalation has resulted in several proxy conflicts breaking out across the Middle East involving both sides.
On 30 July 2024, Israel conducted an airstrike on an apartment building in Haret Hreik in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, Iranian military adviser Milad Bedi, as well as five Lebanese civilians, including two children, and wounding 80 others.
This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 8 October 2023, when Hezbollah launched rocket strikes on Israel in response to the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, until the beginning of the first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which lasted from 24 November 2023 to 30 November 2023.
This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 24 November 2023, when the first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began, until 1 January 2024, one day prior to the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri.
This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 2 January 2024, with the Assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, until 31 March 2024, one day prior to the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
On 20 September 2024, Israel launched an air attack that leveled an apartment building in the Dahieh suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. The attack killed at least 45 people, including 16 Hezbollah militants, two of whom were commanders, identified as Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wehbe. They were the second and third Hezbollah commanders assassinated by Israel in two months during the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict, after the killing of Fuad Shukr.
On 23 September 2024, Israel began a series of airstrikes in Lebanon as part of the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict with an operation it code-named Northern Arrows. Since then, Israel's attacks have killed over 800 people, injured more than 5,000, and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians. The attacks are the deadliest in Lebanon since the end of the Lebanese Civil War, and began five days after Israel performed a deadly pager and walkie-talkie attack on devices intended for Hezbollah members, and three days after Israel performed an airstrike on an apartment complex in Beirut which killed Redwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil as well as 54 others.
This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 17 September 2024, when Hezbollah pagers exploded throughout Lebanon and Syria to the present. Beginning 23 September, Israel begun mass airstrikes on Lebanon, on 27 September, they assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, and on 1 October, they invaded Lebanon.
On 27 September 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. The strike took place while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at a headquarters located 60 feet (18 m) underground beneath residential buildings in Haret Hreik in the Dahieh suburb to the south of Beirut. Conducted by the Israeli Air Force using F-15I fighters, the operation involved dropping more than 80 bombs, including US-made 2,000-pound (910 kg) bunker buster bombs, destroying the underground headquarters as well as nearby buildings. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) codenamed the operation "New Order".
On 1 October 2024, Israel invaded Southern Lebanon in an escalation of the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict, a spillover of the Israel–Hamas war. It followed a series of major attacks on Hezbollah in September that degraded its capabilities and devastated its leadership, beginning with the explosions of its communication devices. This was followed by a massive Israeli aerial bombing campaign throughout Lebanon, killing over 800 Lebanese people in one week. On 27 September, Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike.
Two meters upwards, it'd hit us: News 13 crew under Hezbollah's fire