Reuters journalist killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli strike, colleagues say

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BEIRUT — A Reuters videographer was killed and six other journalists were wounded Friday in southern Lebanon when the area they were reporting from was struck by Israeli shelling, according to two colleagues who spoke to the injured journalists in the hospital, as well as an eyewitness. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Charbel Francis, a cameraman for Al Araby TV, said he was filming a barrage of Israeli shelling on a hill, while standing about 50 feet from the other journalists, when the strike landed. The battle was in the distance, and there was no indication that fire from Lebanon was coming from anywhere near the journalists.

“We didn’t see anything being launched [from Lebanon], everything was falling” on the hill, he said, referring to the Israeli shelling.

Issam Abdallah died after Israeli shelling struck an area with international journalists in southern Lebanon on Oct. 13, colleagues said. (Video: Reuters)

“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” a Reuters statement read, adding that Abdallah was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon providing live coverage of skirmishes along the border. Two other Reuters journalists, Thaer al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, “sustained injuries and are seeking medical care,” the news agency said.

The statement did not specify who was responsible. Reuters later reported, citing one of its journalists who was at the scene, that missiles “fired from the direction of Israel" struck the group.

A spokesman for the Israeli military, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, said Saturday that it was "very sorry” for the journalist’s death but that it was not sure who was responsible and that Israel would investigate.

Journalists from the Al Jazeera news channel and Agence France-Presse were also injured.

Al Jazeera said the journalists had all gathered in one area for safety in Alma al-Chaab, a village in south Lebanon. In video posted earlier on Friday by AFP journalist Christina Assi, who was among the injured, several reporters could be seen wearing blue bullet-resistant vests marked with the word “Press.”

The injured Al Jazeera journalists were Elie Brakhya, a cameraman, and Carmen Joukhadar, a correspondent, the channel said. AFP identified its other wounded journalist as Dylan Collins.

Video showing the scene before Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed. Journalists clearly marked as journalists, in an open landscape, doing their jobs. Not endorsing the commentary, just sharing the video. pic.twitter.com/weaKiYqFet — Aislinn Laing (@Simmoa) October 14, 2023

The Associated Press — which had a photographer on the scene — reported that an Israeli shell landed near the group during an exchange of fire with Hezbollah. The area had previously been a target of Israeli strikes, according to a Lebanese security source cited by AFP.

The colleagues of the injured journalists spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the incident.

Reporters Without Borders said Abdallah was “killed by an Israeli strike while covering the situation on the southern border” in Lebanon. The press advocacy group described it as a “heinous crime against journalists” and said it was “continuing its investigations into the circumstances of this tragedy.”

Al Jazeera said in a statement that its broadcast vehicle was “completely burned,” adding it holds Israel "responsible for this brutal attack and calls on the international community to take action to ensure the safety of journalists.”

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a mission set up in 1978 to monitor the border between Lebanon and Israel, said in a statement posted on social media that a “heavy exchange of fire” erupted in the area beginning at 5:20 p.m. Live footage carried on several news channels showed what appeared to be sustained shelling into Lebanese territory that lasted for about an hour.

“We are deeply saddened to hear that during this exchange of fire a Lebanese videographer has been killed with reports of other journalists injured,” the UNIFIL statement said.

A live stream from the area showed the hillside as the blast hit. A woman is heard screaming “I can’t feel my legs” before the feed is cut. Lebanese television broadcasts showed a woman in a press vest writhing on the ground, with fire billowing and a car burning in the background.

The border violence Friday, as Israel is preparing for an anticipated ground assault in Gaza, intensified fears that the conflict could widen to Lebanon.

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

Abdallah, 37, a video journalist based in Beirut, had covered conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, and other major stories, including earthquakes that devastated southern Turkey this year. A wide circle of colleagues, friends and admirers posted tributes to Abdallah on social media Friday, and held a vigil for him in Beirut.

“He was genuinely one of the most kind and heartwarming people one could know. Totally selfless, a bundle of laughs and an extremely kind individual,” said Tariq Keblaoui, who said that a few weeks ago, Abdallah had helped him escape a protest that was being attacked.

“Issam was the sweetest colleague. He let me take a kitten I was nursing on assignment once, and made it a bed in his helmet," wrote journalist Erika Solomon.

Colleagues also remembered him as a “brave friend” and some journalists recounted during a funeral procession held for him on Saturday that he often told them there was “no story worth your life.”

Abdallah’s last post on Instagram was a photo of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist who was shot and killed last year by the Israeli military.