BEIRUT: Award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who worked for German press agency DPA, was killed Wednesday in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama, his employer said.
“Our photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who documented the civil war in Syria in a unique visual language, has been killed in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama. Anas was just 32 years old,” DPA said in a statement.
“All of us at DPA are in shock and deeply saddened by the death of Anas Alkharboutli,” editor-in-chief Sven Goesmann said in the statement.
“With his pictures, he not only documented the horrors of war, but always worked for the truth. Anas remains a role model for our work,” he added.
Islamist-led rebels last week launched a massive offensive in northern Syria, taking second city Aleppo from government control and advancing on the central city of Hama, with fierce clashes reported between the fighters and the army.
Ali Hajj Sleiman, a journalist who was with Alkharboutli, told AFP that they had seen aircraft overhead in the Morek area near Hama, where they and other colleagues had regrouped.
“We heard a very loud noise and started running, then the blast threw me to the ground,” he said.
After the strike, “I found Anas lying in his own blood... He had lost both his legs... He died in the ambulance before arriving at the hospital.”
Alkharboutli began working as a photojournalist in 2015 and joined DPA two years later, the agency said.
He received the Young Reporter Trophy of France’s prestigious Bayeux Award for war reporting in 2020, and won the sports category for the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards.
He was laid to rest in the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib.
Authorities in the rebel enclave say three other journalists from the area have been killed since the offensive began last week.
War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday the death toll in eight days of fighting had risen to 704, including 110 civilians.
Syrian photographer for German news agency DPA killed near Syria’s Hama
https://arab.news/2hsjw
Syrian photographer for German news agency DPA killed near Syria’s Hama
- Anas Alkharboutli, who worked for German press agency DPA, was killed in an air strike near Hama
Western media refute Trump’s claims Iran possesses Tomahawk missiles
- Speaking to journalists, Trump suggested Tehran used US-made cruise missile in school attack that killed over 170, calling the weapon ‘very generic’
- CNN, Sky News and analysts said that ‘neither Israel nor Iran use Tomahawk missiles,’ urged accurate identification to ensure credibility in public discourse
LONDON: Western media outlets and defense analysts have pushed back against claims by US President Donald Trump that Iran possesses Tomahawk cruise missiles, after he raised the possibility while discussing a recent strike on an Iranian school that has drawn international scrutiny.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump suggested Iran may have used Tomahawks in the attack, calling the weapon “very generic” and implying that multiple countries, including Iran, could have access to the system.
However, journalists and weapons experts swiftly disputed that assertion. They noted that Tomahawk missiles are US-manufactured cruise missile systems that Washington supplies only to a small number of close allies, primarily the UK and Australia. There is no credible evidence that Iran has ever obtained the weapon.
CNN anchor Erin Burnett referenced an investigation by correspondent Isobel Yeong that concluded “neither Israel nor Iran use Tomahawk missiles, according to experts.” Sky News and other Western outlets also challenged Trump’s remarks.
Analysts pointed out that Iran has developed its own domestic cruise missile systems, such as the Soumar and Hoveyzeh, which are believed to be based partly on older Soviet-era designs.
While these systems resemble cruise missiles in concept, experts say they differ significantly from the Tomahawk in design, propulsion configuration and operational characteristics.
While Iran has made substantial advances in ballistic and domestically produced cruise missiles over the past two decades, defense analysts said there is no verified evidence that Tehran holds the American-made system.
The episode reflects a broader pattern in which statements about military technology are rapidly scrutinized by open-source investigators and defense experts.
Experts say the distinction is important: accurately identifying the type of missile used in a strike can provide clues about the likely actor responsible, the launch platform involved and the broader geopolitical consequences of a strike.
Analysts also say that accurate identification of military systems remains essential for avoiding misinformation and for maintaining credibility in public discourse surrounding regional security.
Despite the growing body of evidence, the precise circumstances of the school attack nonetheless remain unclear, with investigators hampered by a lack of weapons fragments and limited access to the site.
Norway-based rights group Hengaw said the school was holding its morning session at the time of the reported attack and had at least 168 children and 14 teachers.
Trump said the US was continuing to investigate the incident. “Whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report,” he said.
