An Israeli strike near the town of Alma asShaab on the Lebanese border on Friday resulted in the death of one journalist, while at least four others suffered injuries, reports claimed.
Reuters journalist killed
Essam Abdullah, a journalist from the Reuters news agency, lost his life, and correspondents from AFP and Al Jazeera were among those wounded in the Israeli airstrike.
Reuters, in a statement, said its cameraman was killed while two reporters injured on Friday while manning a live feed of the Israel-Lebanon border.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” the statement said. “Issam was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon who was providing a live signal. We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam’s family and colleagues. Our thoughts are with his family at this terrible time.”
The spokesperson said Reuters journalists Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh “also sustained injuries and are seeking medical care.”
Horrifying footages surface
The live stream was disconnected on Friday morning when it seemed that the journalists capturing the footage were struck by rocket fire. The distressing footage captured a journalist exclaiming, "What's happened? I can't feel my legs," repeatedly.
Al Jazeera journalists injured
Qatar's Al Jazeera news outlet reported that two of their journalists, Karmen Jokhadar and Eli Brakhia, were among the injured in the attack.
During an on-air statement, Al Jazeera journalist Ali Hashem disclosed that both the Reuters and Al Jazeera crews had been part of a convoy of reporters in the border area on Friday. At one juncture, they decided to split up, with the Reuters team heading to an area with a vantage point of the scene, while the Al Jazeera crew proceeded to a nearby village.
“Then there was this direct shell that hit the team,” he said.
He confirmed that all the journalists were unmistakably outfitted with jackets and helmets that clearly indicated their status as members of the press.
Israel-Hezbollah fight rages
This strike transpired on the fifth day of an ongoing exchange of artillery fire between Israel and the pro-Iran group Hezbollah in the regions of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. Hezbollah's actions were framed as an act of "solidarity" with Hamas, which had previously initiated an attack on Israel the previous Saturday.
Throughout the week, the exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah had progressively intensified, though both sides refrained from engaging in direct confrontation.
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