Reporters allegedly targeted in Israeli strikes in south Lebanon; Al Jazeera cameraman hurt

Journalists in southern Lebanon claim they have been targeted in Israeli strikes, which Qatar’s Al Jazeera network says lightly wounded its photographer. A local mayor and Lebanese state media corroborate the journalists’ account of the cross-border incident.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army does not immediately comment on the latest strikes. The Israel Defense Forces has said it responded with artillery shelling toward the sources of missile and rocket attacks on northern Israel.

Around a dozen journalists from several media outlets say they were on a tour to inspect damage from Israeli bombardments and were providing coverage from the border town of Yarun when the strikes hit.

Al Jazeera says its photographer Issam Mawasi was “lightly wounded as a result of Israeli bombing.”

“Al Jazeera’s broadcast vehicle was also damaged during the attack. The strike occurred as a group of journalists toured the area,” a report on the staunchly anti-Israel broadcaster’s website says.

Al Jazeera’s Lebanon bureau chief Mazen Ibrahim accuses Israel of “directly targeting” the group, adding that the journalists were in an open area.

“Israeli occupation forces don’t hesitate to directly target journalists,” he charges.