Reuters Videographer Issam Abdallah Killed By Artillery Fire In Southern Lebanon

Melanie Goodfellow
·2 min read
3

Reuters videographer Issam Abdullah was killed and six other reporters were wounded in southern Lebanon on Friday while covering skirmishes along its border with Israel.

The Beirut-based video journalist was close to the Lebanese border village of Alma al-Shaab, overseeing a live view shot when his camera took a direct hit.  He was with a group which also included AFP and Al Jazeera journalists.

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Reuters confirmed the death as well as injuries to its journalists Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, who are now receiving medical care.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed. Issam was part of a Reuters crew in southern Lebanon who was providing a live signal,” the news agency said in a short statement.

Al Jazeera said its cameraperson Elie Brakhya and reporter Carmen Joukhadar were also among those wounded. AFP photographer Christina Assi and video journalist Dylan Collins were also injured and were undergoing medical treatment.

Chilling footage of the live shot circulating on social networks appears to suggest the camera was hit by a shell. There have been unsubstantiated reports that it was Israeli artillery fire.

Reuters did not comment on these reports and said it was still investigating the matter.

Abdallah posted video of an explosion in southern Lebanon about two hours before his death was confirmed.

“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,” read its statement.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, as of Thursday at least 10 journalists have been killed since Hamas launched its attack on Israel. Israel declared war on Hamas and launched strikes on Gaza. Nine Palestinian journalists were confirmed dead and one Israeli journalist was killed, according to the group.

“We are deeply concerned that a group of journalists who were clearly identified have been killed and injured while doing their job,” said AFP’s global news director Phil Chetwynd.

“We send our deepest condolences to our friends at Reuters for the loss of Issam and we are all pulling for our injured colleagues in hospital,” he added.

Violence along Israel’s northern border has ratcheted up over the past week in the wake of the terror attack in southern Israel by Hamas amid fears of copycat operations by other Palestinian groups.

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