Media casualties mount amid escalating Middle East conflict
Three employees of a Lebanese television station lost their lives as a result of an Israeli attack in the town of Hasbaya. According to the Al Majadin station, the victims of the air raid included a camera operator and a transmission technician. These are yet more media workers who have died in the Middle East conflict.
Three television employees, including two camera operators and a transmission technician, lost their lives during an Israeli air raid on the town of Hasbaya, located in southeastern Lebanon – the Associated Press reported on Friday, citing Lebanon's state news agency NNA.
The pro-Iranian TV channel Al Majadin confirmed that the two deceased were its camera operator and transmission technician. Additionally, Al-Manar TV, a part of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, reported the death of its camera operator.
The local news station Al Jadeed aired footage from the scene. The video shows collapsed buildings and cars with "PRESS" written on them, covered in dust and debris. According to AP, the Israeli army did not issue a warning before the nighttime attack.
Tragic conflict statistics
These aren’t the first fatalities among Al Majadin staff – in November 2023, two journalists were killed in a drone attack.
According to data from the Committee to Protect Journalists, reported on Thursday, among the tens of thousands of people killed in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since October 7, 2023, when the conflict began, there have been at least 128 journalists and media workers.
This is the highest number of journalist casualties in any armed conflict since 1992, when CPJ began publishing statistics. Among the victims are 123 Palestinians, two Israelis, and three Lebanese individuals. Over 40 journalists have been injured. The disappearance of two media workers has also been reported.
