Journalists Mourn Colleague Killed In Israel-Lebanon Clash
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Journalists on Saturday mourned a Reuters news agency journalist killed in a clash between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and most of the Western world.
Reuters said in a statement that Issam Abdallah had been killed in southern Lebanon while providing a live video signal for broadcasters while six other journalists were injured in the Dane area.
It happened in southern Lebanon on Friday when missiles fired from the direction of Israel struck them, according to a Reuters videographer at the scene. Two other Reuters journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the incident and released from a hospital after receiving medical care, Reuters said.
The injured group also included personnel from broadcaster Al Jazeera and French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) working near Alma al-Shaab, close to the Israel border, where the Israeli military and Hezbollah fighters have been trading fire in border clashes, Worthy News learned.
While Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a Hezbollah lawmaker blamed the incident on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel’s U.N. envoy, Gilad Erdan, said in a briefing on Friday: “Obviously, we would never want to hit or kill or shoot any journalist that is doing its job. But you know, we’re in a state of war; things might happen.” He added that the country would investigate.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” Reuters said. “We are urgently seeking more information, working with authorities in the region, and supporting Issam’s family and colleagues.”
While other news outlets, including The Associated Press and Al Jazeera, said the shells were Israeli, Reuters could not establish whether the missiles had actually been fired by Israel.
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