An Israeli tank crew has been implicated in the death of Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah and the injury of six other reporters in Lebanon on October 13.
A Reuters investigation has revealed that the tank crew fired two shells while journalists were filming cross-border shelling near the Lebanese village of Alma al-Chaab, just over a kilometer from the Israeli border.
The tank rounds proved fatal for Abdallah, 37, and severely wounded Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Christina Assi, 28.
The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), an independent institute specializing in munitions and weapons testing, conducted an examination that identified a large piece of metal as the tail fin of a 120 mm tank round fired from a smoothbore tank gun positioned 1.34 km away across the Lebanese border.
Reuters presented its findings to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), indicating that the tank rounds were fired from within Israel.
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Questions were also raised about whether Israeli troops were aware they were targeting journalists.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, the IDF’s international spokesman, responded by stating, “We don’t target journalists,” but did not offer further comment.
The group of seven reporters from AFP, Al Jazeera, and Reuters, all clearly marked as press with blue flak jackets and helmets, were in the vicinity at the time of the incident.
The evidence presented by Reuters, including video footage, testimonies from witnesses, and analysis of shrapnel and material collected at the scene, paints a grim picture of the incident.
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni expressed condemnation for Issam Abdallah’s killing and called on Israel to provide an explanation for the tragic event.
Galloni urged accountability for those responsible for Abdallah’s death and the injuries sustained by other journalists present, including Christina Assi of AFP, Thaier Al-Sudani, and Maher Nazeh.
Issam Abdallah was remembered as a brilliant and passionate journalist who was much loved at Reuters.
The news agency’s thorough investigation involved speaking to over 30 government and security officials, military experts, forensic investigators, lawyers, medics, and witnesses.
It also included the review of extensive video footage from various media outlets in the area and the examination of high-resolution satellite images, underscoring the gravity of the incident and the meticulous efforts to uncover the truth.