Reuters journalist killed by Israeli fire

Reuters news agency investigation has determined that the attack on October 13 in Lebanon, which resulted in the death of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and the injury of six other journalists, was carried out by an Israeli tank crew.

ATTACK AT THE BORDER

Two strikes occurred in the town of Alma al-Chaab, located approximately 1 km from the Israeli border in Lebanon, resulting in the death of Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah and the severe injury of Agence-France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Christina Assi.

Reuters interviewed over 30 government and security officials, military experts, forensic investigators, lawyers, medical personnel, and witnesses to learn the details of the incident. The agency examined high-resolution satellite imagery, hours of video footage from eight media organizations, and hundreds of photos taken before and after the attack.

As part of the investigation, Reuters also collected evidence from the scene, including shrapnel found on the ground and in a Reuters vehicle, three bulletproof vests, a camera, a tripod, and a large piece of metal.

The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), an independent research institute that conducts ammunition and weapons analysis for institutions such as the Dutch Ministry of Defence, examined the collected materials for Reuters at their laboratories in The Hague.

According to TNO's primary findings, the large piece of metal recovered from the scene was the tail fin of a 120 mm tank shell fired from a smoothbore gun of a tank positioned across the Lebanese border, 1.34 km away from the journalists.

Nick Reynolds, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, stated that armored brigades deployed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in northern Israel are equipped with Merkava battle tanks that feature 120 mm smoothbore guns.

RESPONSE FROM ISRAEL

Reuters submitted detailed follow-up questions to the IDF, including findings that the tank fire originated from within Israel and whether Israeli soldiers knew they were firing at journalists.

IDF international spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht said, "We do not target journalists," but provided no further explanation.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said he was unaware of the findings of the investigation conducted by Reuters and that Israeli forces do not target civilians.

In a televised statement, when asked about the findings in reports by Reuters, AFP, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, Levy said, "We do not target civilians."

"ISRAEL MUST EXPLAIN THIS"

Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni said, "The evidence we have now, and which we have published today, shows that an Israeli tank crew killed our colleague Issam Abdallah," and added:

"We condemn Issam's killing. We call on Israel to explain how this could have happened and to hold those responsible for Issam's death and the injuries to AFP journalist Christina Assi, our colleagues Thaier Al-Sudani, Maher Nazeh, and three other journalists to account. Issam was a brilliant and passionate journalist who was deeply loved by Reuters."

SHELLS FIRED 37 SECONDS APART

Reuters began broadcasting live footage to viewers at 18:16 local time after completing its setup at the scene. The Reuters team filmed for 45 minutes while drones and an Israeli helicopter patrolled overhead, then turned their cameras toward an Israeli military outpost in Hanita, two kilometers away. From there, they filmed a tank firing shells toward southern Lebanon.

In less than 90 seconds, the first of two shells fired from a tank in a different direction struck Abdallah and the low wall he was leaning against, causing his death. Just 37 seconds after the first strike, a second shell hit an Al Jazeera vehicle, causing it to explode.

"UNACCEPTABLE"

The AFP news agency stated that the evidence presented by Reuters confirms its own analysis of the incident.

AFP Global News Director Phil Chetwynd said, "Israel needs to provide a clear explanation of what happened. Targeting a group of journalists who were clearly identifiable as media personnel is inexplicable and unacceptable."

Al Jazeera's director of international communications, Ihtisham Hibatullah, said, "Reuters' investigation into the October 13 attack shows that Israel is deliberately targeting journalists to silence those reporting the news."

News Source: 12punto