LONDON: A Russia Today correspondent and his cameraman were injured in an Israeli missile strike while filming in southern Lebanon on Thursday, with footage circulating online appearing to capture the moment of impact.
Correspondent Steve Sweeney and cameraman Ali Rida said they were filming near Al-Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River, close to a local military base, when Israeli forces struck in their vicinity.
The footage captures the moment of the strike, with a whistle audible in the seconds before the missile lands just meters behind Sweeney as he ducks for cover.
RT confirmed that both men were conscious and receiving medical treatment at a local hospital.
In a separate video, Rida said they were both fine, and joked: “It turns out that when a missile is flying at you, you can hear it.”
Rida accused Israeli forces of “deliberately attacking” the crew despite them wearing press uniforms which clearly displayed their credentials.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the strike, saying an attack on journalists wearing press markings “cannot be called accidental given the killing of 200 journalists in Gaza.”
Writing on Telegram, she added that the strike “did not hit a significant strategic military facility, but rather the location where the report was being filmed,” and said that Moscow was “awaiting the response of international organizations.”
Israel has repeatedly faced accusations of deliberately targeting journalists and media workers.
Since the latest regional escalation began on Feb. 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that at least three journalists have been killed in Iran and Gaza.
