The journalists who were hit when Israeli forces attacked Lebanon on Friday (13) were wearing bulletproof vests clearly labeled “press,” according to official statements and videos reviewed by the CNN.
The sudden explosion killed a Reuters cameraman and injured at least six others.
See also — Reuters journalist killed in southern Lebanon
Journalists from international news organizations Al Jazeera, Agence France Presse and Reuters were among the victims, according to media statements.
At approximately the same time, around 5 pm local time, the Israeli military said it fired artillery into Lebanese territory after a border fence was blown up near the Hanita kibbutz. The Israeli military did not respond to Israel’s request for comment. CNN.
Hanita is across the border from the Lebanese town of Alma Chaab, where the group of journalists covered the exchange of gunfire, video analysis by the agency shows. CNN.
A Reuters live feed showed smoke rising in the area, according to the Reuters geolocation. CNN, before a bang was heard.
In the next instant, the camera lens is suddenly covered in dust and a woman can be heard screaming in the background.
“Oh God. Oh God. What is happening? … I can’t feel my legs”, says the journalist crying.
Christina Assi, a journalist for Agence France Presse, could be seen in another video after the event lying on the ground with injuries to her legs.
Reuters cameraman Issam Abdallah was found dead after the attack. He was operating the live signal that recorded the moment, Reuters reported.
Posts on social media show that the victims were clearly identified as press. An hour before the attack, Assi posted a video on Instagram stories showing the entire group wearing helmets and protective vests with the label “Press”.
Abdallah posted on Instagram shortly before his death a photo of himself wearing a helmet and press vest, smoke billowing in the distance behind him, with his location given as Alma Chaab.
Later, a video that revealed his charred body showed the same location in Alma Chaab, according to geolocation analysis by the open source team at CNN. A few meters away, a vehicle could be seen on fire.
The location was first geolocated by open source expert Benjamin Pittet of Geoconfirmed.
In videos verified by CNN regarding the impact of the attack, at least two other journalists are seen bloodied.
In one of these images, American journalist Dylan Collins, from AFP, is seen with his head and wrist wrapped in a bloody bandage, his shirt stained with blood and covered in dust, receiving medical care.
Behind the recording, someone said: “Leave this one, save whoever you can.”
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Source: CNN Brasil
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