British journalist Steve Sweeney and his cameraman are wounded in Israeli missile assault in southern Lebanon as he stories dwell on air
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British journalist Steve Sweeney and his camera man Ali Rida were wounded in an Israeli missile attack in southern Lebanon whilst reporting live on air.
The Beirut-based English-language Russia Today correspondent was wearing his press vest as he reported on Hezbollah rocket attacks in Nahariya, Israel, today.
However, the sound of an approaching missile made him momentarily freeze up before ducking just in time to dodge the missile before it exploded on the ground just behind them.
The force of the blast threw Mr Sweeney and Mr Rida to the ground with the pair groaning in pain after suffering minor injuries from the shrapnel.
Another man can be heard shouting something in the distance, with a panicked Mr Sweeney frantically responding: ‘Where? Where? Where?’
Both men remained conscious but were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
They were reportedly in front of the Al-Qasmiya bridge in southern Lebanon, close to a local military installation, when an Israeli aircraft launched the missile towards the spot they were filming in.
Mr Sweeney and Mr Rida have alleged the strike was deliberate and ‘an attempt to silence’ them, insisting they were clearly identifiable as media, wearing uniforms marked with press insignia in daylight.
British journalist Steve Sweeney and his camera man Ali Rida were wounded in an Israeli missile attack in southern Lebanon whilst reporting live on air
The force of the blast threw Mr Sweeney and Mr Rida to the ground with the pair groaning in pain after suffering minor injuries from the shrapnel
They were reportedly in front of the Al-Qasmiya bridge in southern Lebanon, close to a local military installation, when an Israeli aircraft launched the missile towards the spot they were filming in
Targeting clearly identified members of the press is a war crime under international humanitarian law, but it is currently unknown whether or not the strike was deliberate.
The strike came hours after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) warned they would be striking bridges over the Litani River to eliminate ‘Hezbollah movements under civilian cover’.
It is unclear whether or not the Al-Qasmiya bridge was one of the bridges they had planned to attack.
Israeli air raids have killed at least four people in southern Lebanon today with dozens reported dead across the war-torn country in the last two days.
