| Attack on journalists in Lebanon | |
| Location: | South Lebanon (South Governorate and Nabatieh Governorate) |
| Date: | 13 October – present |
| Partof: | the killing of journalists in the Israel–Hamas war and Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) |
| Weapons: | Missiles, tank guns |
| Fatalities: | 3 journalists, 1 civilian |
| Injuries: | 7+ |
| Perpetrator: |  Israeli Defence Force |
Since the beginning of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict on 8 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces has killed three Lebanese journalists and injured at least 7 others in multiple incidents near the Lebanon–Israel border.
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. The Israel Defense Forces responded to the United Nations report by claiming that Hezbollah attacked them, so tank fire was used to retaliate.
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.[9] Only minor injuries were reported.
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.[10] [11] A guide alongside the journalists was also killed. Al Mayadeen said the attack was deliberate because of the channel's pro-Palestinian views.[12]
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.[13] The IDF heavily bombarded the Deir Mimas-Khardali River area and stopped civilians from passing the road by shelling close to the vehicles passing.
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.[14]
During the conflict, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claimed that the Israeli army had deliberately targeted journalists.[15] [16] [17] 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.[18] According to the Council of Europe, the intentional targeting of journalists constitutes a war crime.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21]
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. 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.
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.[22] [23] 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.[24]
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. 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.
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.[25] 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.[26] The Israeli army also initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Abdallah's death.[27]
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".[28]
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.[29] [30] 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.[31] [32]
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 | ||
| Christina Assi | A Lebanese photographer who sustained life-threatening injuries and remained in intensive care for weeks and had her leg amputated | AFP | [33] | ||
| Dylan Collins | An American photographer who was injured in the second strike while trying to help Assi. | AFP | |||
| Elie Brakhya | A Lebanese photojuornalist who sustained major injuries and was hospitalized for weeks | Al Jazeera | |||
| Issam Abdallah | A Lebanese videographer who was immediately killed in an Israeli artillery strike that targeted the group of reporters. | Reuters | [34] [35] | ||
| Maher Nazeh | An Iraqi photojuornalist who sustained minor injuries | Reuters | |||
| Thaer al-Sudani | An Iraqi photojuornalist who sustained minor injuries | Reuters | [36] | ||
| 2023-11-13 | Issam Mawassi | A Lebanese videographer sustained minor injuries when the IDF attacked a group of journalists in Yaroun. | Al Jadeed | [37] | |
| 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 | [38] | |
| Hussein Aqeel | Civilian who was alongside the Al Mayadeen journalists who was their local guide. | (Civilian) | [39] | ||
| A Lebanese cameraman working for Al Mayadeen was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Tayr Harfa area. | Al Mayadeen | ||||
| 2023-12-23 | Khodor Markiz | A Lebanese cameraman who was injured in the eye after an IDF attack near his vehicle. | Al Manar |