Israeli military says death of Reuters journalist in Lebanon being investigated

JERUSALEM - The Israeli army said on Saturday that it was aware of the incident in southern Lebanon in which

a Reuters journalist was killed

.

The military said the incident is being investigated.

“We are aware of the incident with the Reuters journalist. We are looking into it. We already have visuals. We’re doing cross-examination. It’s a tragic thing,” a military spokesperson told reporters.

Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six other journalists injured in southern Lebanon on Friday when missiles fired from the direction of Israel struck them, according to a Reuters videographer who was at the scene.

The group of journalists included those from Al Jazeera and Agence France-Presse.

They were working near Alma al-Shaab, close to the border with Israel, where the Israeli military and Lebanese militia Hezbollah have been trading fire in border clashes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a Hezbollah lawmaker blamed the incident on Israel.

Israel’s UN 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 his job. But you know, we’re in a state of war, things might happen.”

He had said the country would investigate.

Reuters said in a statement that Mr Abdallah had been killed while providing a live video signal for broadcasters.

The camera was pointed at a hillside when a loud explosion shook the camera, filling the air with smoke, and screams were heard.

“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.”

Two other Reuters journalists, Mr Thaer Al-Sudani and Mr Maher Nazeh, were wounded in the incident and released from a hospital after receiving medical care, Reuters said.

Mr Nazeh said Reuters and the two other news organisations were filming missile fire coming from the direction of Israel when one struck Mr Abdallah as he was sitting on a low stone wall near the rest of the group.

Seconds later, another missile hit the car being used by the group, setting it aflame.

Other news outlets, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, said the shells were Israeli.

But Reuters could not establish whether the missiles had actually been fired by Israel.

Agence France-Presse said two of its journalists were wounded.

Qatari-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera said two of its journalists were also wounded in the incident and had been clearly distinguishable as press.

It blamed Israel for the incident, saying all those behind “this criminal act” should be held accountable.

“The broadcast vehicle was bombed and completely burned despite the presence of our team close to/side by side with the rest of the international media crews in an agreed-upon location,” Al Jazeera said in a statement.

The village of Alma al-Shaab has been the site of repeated clashes since war erupted further south between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militia with close ties to Hezbollah.

Hamas fighters burst out of the Gaza Strip a week ago and launched a deadly assault on Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Israeli forces responded with a heavy bombardment of Gaza.

In an interview with Reuters, Ms Fatima Kanso, Mr Abdallah’s mother, blamed Israel for the death of her son.

“Israel deliberately killed my son. They were all wearing journalists’ gear and the word ‘press’ was visible. Israel cannot deny this crime,” she added.

Shortly before Mr Abdallah was killed, he posted on social media a photograph of himself wearing a helmet and a flak jacket with the word “press” visible on it.

“We always try to mitigate and avoid civilian casualties,” Mr Erdan, Israel’s UN envoy, said to reporters in a briefing.

“We regret them. We feel sorry. And we will investigate it. Right now, it’s too early to call what happened there,” he said.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a peacekeeping unit that patrols Lebanon’s border with Israel, said it was saddened by the news and called for the firing to stop.

“The potential for this escalation to spiral out of control is clear, and it must be halted,” it said in a statement. REUTERS