Israel tried to kill me: Journo alleges 'deliberate' attack to hide war crimes

A day after getting injured in an Israeli air raid while filming near Al-Qasmiya Bridge in conflict-torn Lebanon, Russian reporter Steve Sweeney lashed out at Israel for “deliberately launching an attack to kill him.”

“Today Israel tried to kill me in a targeted airstrike in southern Lebanon as I was reporting on the targeting of bridges and the forced displacement of 1 million people, an ethnic cleansing operation on a larger scale than the Nakba,” the journalist, who works as a correspondent in Russian television network RT, wrote on X. “Despite claims there were no warnings ahead of the strike and no notifications sent to the Lebanese Army who allowed us to film,” he added.

Sweney also alleged that the strike was nothing but an attempt to silence the journalists, trying to document Israel’s “war crime.”

On Thursday, Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida, witnessed an air strike while filming near the southern Lebanon bridge. The strike hit metres away from their filming spot. The blast, captured on camera, showed Sweeney scrambling for cover as thick smoke engulfed the area.

Later, both he and Rida received medical aid at a local hospital, according to a report by RT. Rida shared a video showing doctors removing shrapnel from Sweeney's arm. He also accused Israel of launching a deliberate attack.

The Al-Qasmiya Bridge is a vital crossing point over the River Litani, which has been witnessing massive Israeli strikes over the past few days. Israel has stepped up strikes on southern Lebanon recently, destroying two bridges over the river that connects the region with the rest of the country. The Israeli military has claimed that the crossings are being used by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah to move fighters and weapons.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, condemned Israel for the strike, saying the attack on journalists wearing press jackets "cannot be called accidental," considering the killing of 200 correspondents in Gaza.

"Especially since the rocket did not hit a 'significant strategic military facility', but rather the location where the report was being filmed," she posted on Telegram, adding that Moscow was waiting for a response from the international organisation.

Israel, meanwhile, said that repeated warnings were given for civilians to leave the area where the strike happened, and that the missile was launched after sufficient time had passed.

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