Israeli soldiers walk on a road near the Israel border with Lebanon amid heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon, in northern Israel, October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The following statement was issued by the Lebanese Army – Directorate of Guidance:
“On October 19, 2023, while a media team of 7 individuals was covering events near the Al-Abbad site belonging to the Israeli army in the outskirts of the town of Houla, they were targeted by Israeli army personnel with machine guns, resulting in the death of one of them and the injury of another.
A Lebanese Army patrol, in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), transported the martyr and the injured to a hospital, and the rest of the team members were taken to a safe location.”
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti stated, “The Lebanese army requested UNIFIL’s assistance for seven individuals who were stranded near the Blue Line, near the shrine of Sheikh Abbad, during intense exchange of gunfire across the Blue Line.”
He added that UNIFIL forces contacted the Israeli army to request a ceasefire to rescue the group, and he further stated, “It is tragic that one person lost their life during this incident, and the others were saved.”
