Explosive Revelation: Israel's Attack on Lebanon Unleashes Chaos on Press Targets

The Israeli forces launched an attack in Lebanon on Friday, during which a Reuters journalist was killed and at least six others from international news organizations, including Al Jazeera, Agence France Presse, and Reuters, were injured. These journalists were wearing clearly labeled "press" body armor, as confirmed by official statements and videos analyzed by CNN.

Around 5pm local time, the Israeli military stated that it had launched artillery at Lebanon following an explosion of a border fence close to the Israeli kibbutz, Hanita. The Israeli military has not provided any comments in response to CNN's inquiry. According to CNN's video analysis, Hanita is located just across the border from Alma Chaab, the Lebanese town where the group of journalists was documenting the gunfire exchange.

A Reuters livestream showed smoke rising from the area, according to CNNs geolocations, before a thud is heard.

In Dhayra, Lebanon, on October 12, 2023, a United Nations post painted blue can be seen with a clear warning to avoid approaching the Lebanon-Israel border wall. Tensions have intensified following a major Hamas attack on Israel, prompting a declaration of war by the Israeli prime minister. As a result, the Israeli army and militants backed by Iran's Hezbollah have engaged in deadly clashes along the Israel-Lebanese border.

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In an instant, the camera lens becomes obscured by dust, while a woman's scream echoes in the background.

"Oh my God! What's happening? I can't feel my legs," she exclaimed.

In the aftermath, Christina Assi, a journalist working with Agence France Presse, was captured in a video lying on the ground, visibly injured in the legs.

The Reuters videographer, Issam Abdullah, was discovered deceased following the assault. It was stated by Reuters that he had been operating the live signal capturing the tragic moment.

Evidence from social media posts confirms that the individuals killed were unmistakably members of the media. Just before the attack, Assi shared a video on her Instagram stories showcasing the entire group adorned with helmets and protective vests prominently marked with the word "Press."

A screengrab from an Instagram video posted by AFP journalist Christina Assi about an hour before the attack shows the group of journalists clearly identified as press.

Abdullah's last Instagram post depicted him wearing protective gear, a helmet, and a press vest, with smoke emerging from the background. He had tagged his location as Alma Chaab. An analysis conducted by CNN's open-source team using geolocation revealed that the charred body seen in a subsequent video was found at the exact location in Alma Chaab. Additionally, the video showcased a burnt vehicle just a few meters away.

The site was initially geolocated by Benjamin Pittet, an expert in open source, through Geoconfirmed.

In videos authenticated by CNN showing the aftermath of the assault, at least two additional journalists can be observed injured. In one video, Dylan Collins, an American journalist from AFP, is shown with a bloodied bandage wrapped around his head and wrist, his shirt soaked in blood and covered in dust. Medical personnel promptly come to their assistance.

"Leave that person, and save whoever you can," a voice can be heard saying.

Since last weekend, there has been an ongoing exchange of gunfire between Israel and militants in Lebanon along their shared border. The tensions escalated after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, which was met with an Israeli attack on Gaza.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group, announced on Friday that it launched attacks on four separate Israeli locations. While no party has taken responsibility for the border explosion near Hanita, it is worth noting that Palestinian militants in Lebanon have consistently carried out attacks on Israel throughout the past week.

Israeli police hold BBC journalists at gunpoint

BBC

BBC journalists were assaulted and held at gunpoint by Israeli police, according to the network. Shortly after the Israeli military's admission of firing towards Lebanese territory, Lebanese state news agency released two statements asserting that Israel had conducted multiple rounds of artillery fire at Alma Chaab and its neighboring regions.

A Lebanese security official informed CNN that an Apache helicopter was spotted near the area where the journalists were attacked. Additionally, it was mentioned that an Israeli tank, potentially responsible for firing the artillery, was positioned on the Israeli side of the border area.

Prior to the incident, a CNN crew had encountered Abdullah during their coverage of a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Maroun el-Ras, a border town. Abdullah, an experienced journalist with extensive Middle East conflict reporting experience, seemed to be in high morale.

Abdullah's Instagram feed remained live for several hours even after his reported death. His final post featured a photograph of the late Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who CNN discovered was potentially fatally shot by Israeli forces while reporting on an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank in the previous year.

Reporting from southern Lebanon, CNN's Ben Wedeman and Charbel Mallo provided contributions to this report.