Israeli army to AFP: The October 13 strike on journalists in southern Lebanon took place in an "active combat zone"

The Israeli army informed the French Press Agency (AFP) on Friday that the shelling in southern Lebanon on October 13, which resulted in the death of a Reuters journalist and the injury of others, including two photographers from AFP, occurred in an "active combat zone."

An investigation conducted by AFP and published on Thursday revealed that the strike was caused by a shell fired from an Israeli tank. 

Similarly, a Reuters investigation published on the same day also concluded that the journalists were hit by Israeli tank fire.

Responding to inquiries about these findings, an Israeli army spokesperson told AFP that the location where the journalists were present that day was an "active combat zone where gunfire is exchanged." The spokesperson added, "Being in this area is dangerous."

He explained that the incident is under review, stating that on October 12, the Israeli army requested the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to "verify the absence of civilians in the combat zone."

The consecutive strikes targeted a group of journalists, resulting in the death of photographer Issam Abdullah (37 years old) and the injury of six other journalists near the town of Alma Al-Shaab, close to the border with occupied Palestine. 

This occurred while covering the military escalation between the Israeli army and Hezbollah amid the ongoing war in Gaza since October 7. The international community is concerned about the potential expansion of the war to other fronts.

The Israeli army told AFP on Friday that Hezbollah "launched an attack on several targets in Israeli territory along the Lebanese border" on October 13. They noted that in response, they retaliated with artillery fire and tank shells, aiming to prevent a "possible infiltration" from Lebanon into Israel.


AFP