**: Observer.com.
After Reuters announced the results of the investigation and said that its reporter was killed by Israeli tank shelling, the Israel Defense Forces responded on the 8th that the incident occurred in "an active war zone" and that Israel is still investigating. However, a previous Reuters statement made it clear that the journalists were "far from the bitter conflict" at the time.
On December 7, Reuters released a detailed report that its investigation confirmed that Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdullah, who was killed on October 13, died in a "deliberate shelling" by Israeli forces, and that Israeli forces fired two shells at a group of journalists from Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Al Jazeera, and that the attack killed 37-year-old Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdullah on the spot, as well as six journalists, including 28-year-old AFP photojournalist Christina Assi, who was seriously injured and amputated, and is still **.
According to details disclosed by Reuters, on October 13, journalists from at least 10 national news outlets rushed to the village of Alma al-Chaab in southern Lebanon to broadcast live, just over a kilometre from the Israeli border, after learning of the cross-border shelling by some armed men who had attempted to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon.
After 45 minutes of filming, Reuters reporters turned their cameras on an Israeli military post near the village of Hanita, 2 kilometers away, and filmed a tank firing artillery shells into southern Lebanon, despite "the buzz of drones overhead and the sound of an Israeli *** patrolling at high altitudes." The same is true for AFP and Al Jazeera.
Ninety seconds later, a tank shell was fired from another outpost, hitting Abdullah and killing him instantly. Just another 37 seconds later, a second shell destroyed Al Jazeera's OB van.
The images show all the journalists wearing body armor marked with the word "press" (*). The fact that the Israeli army directly shelled and killed 6 people and injured one person while knowing the identity of the reporter made Reuters, AFP and other news agencies extremely dissatisfied and aroused condemnation from many parties.
On 13 October, the tank fired two shells at the team of journalists from a ramp. Israel is in the upper part of the map, and Alma Al-Chaab is in the lower right corner. (Reuters).
In response to the latest Reuters investigative report, Israel did not directly mention the name of the journalist who was killed, Issam Abdullah, but shirked responsibility, saying, "This happened in an active war zone." ”
According to a statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces on 8 December, Iranian-backed Allah militants launched attacks on various targets on the Israeli side along the Lebanese-Israeli border on 13 October.
One of the incidents involved the launch of an anti-tank missile, which hit the border fence near the village of Hanita. Since then, the Israeli side has expressed concern about the possible infiltration of '** into Israeli territory. In response, the IDF said, Israeli forces used artillery and tank fire to stop the infiltration.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it was aware of reports of the killing of journalists in the area.
"The area is an active war zone, where there are frequent exchanges of fire and extreme danger," the Israeli military said. The incident is currently being verified. ”
Earlier, Reuters asked Israel whether it knew that the target was a group of journalists before firing the shells, and Israel only said that it was "not targeting journalists", but did not provide further explanation.
This was taken by Reuters journalist Issam Abdullah before the sudden shelling**. (Reuters).
Regarding the Israeli army's claim that "the region belongs to a war zone", Reuters previously denied it in a statement.
Reuters said, "Issam Abdullah was not in the active war zone at the time of the attack, and he and other fellow journalists were in a position away from the intense conflict." ”
Reuters photographer Nazer said the reporters were in an open area on the top of the hill with no trees and no other buildings that might shade the neighborhoodThe line of sight of an Israeli military post at 2 km. Journalists feel safe because they have clearly identified themselves as journalists.
My assessment at the time was that we were in the safest place possible. We were comfortable, sitting, filming, laughing, not perceiving the danger, because we never thought that they would attack journalists. Naze said.
Reuters pointed out that when it reported, the news agency did not inform armed groups in Lebanon of the presence of its journalists, and that "it is not standard practice to communicate the precise coordinates of journalists to armed parties." At the same time, no party has made such a claim.
Reuters** published a lengthy report on the Israeli army's shelling of journalists against a completely black background, killing one and wounding six. This is the slain journalist Issam Abdullah wearing body armor with the word "press" (*) at work. (Reuters).
The deliberate shelling of a journalist from a well-known news agency by the Israeli army, resulting in one death and six injuries, has aroused severe condemnation from relevant quarters.
According to Reuters, attacks on journalists are prohibited under international humanitarian law because journalists** enjoy full protection afforded to civilians and cannot be considered military targets. Reuters editor-in-chief Galloni "condemned" the attack on the 7th, demanding that Israel explain how it happened and hold those involved accountable.
Why were we attacked?Why didn't they (the Israeli military) fire warning shots?If you don't want us to take pictures, you can shoot them as a warning. Why did you suddenly attack without warning, and then even more so to completely destroy us with a second blow?Sudani, a 47-year-old Reuters correspondent, said.
Phil Chetwind, AFP's global press director, said it was incomprehensible and unacceptable for the Israeli military to target a group of people who were clearly identified as journalists." Al Jazeera's international communications manager, Hibatullah, said the investigation highlighted Israel's "appalling practice of deliberately targeting journalists in an attempt to suppress information." For his part, Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makari said: "I believe that Israel's military strategy is to kill journalists and thus stifle the truth. ”
Amnesty International pointed out that the incident was likely a direct Israeli attack on civilians and must be investigated as a war crime.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on the 7th that he deeply regretted the death of the journalist, and that it was important to "let Israel's investigation into the killing" draw conclusions and let the results be made public.
As of December 7, a preliminary investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists revealed that at least 63 journalists and workers had been killed in the fighting since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7, including 56 Palestinians, four Israelis and three Lebanese. According to AFP, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked journalists.