Russia protests Israeli military's targeted attack on journalists

Russia - March 19, Russia accused the Israeli army of carrying out a "targeted" attack. Previously, Israel conducted an airstrike in southern Lebanon, resulting in injuries to two journalists from RT (Russia Today) television.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated in a statement: "The attack on journalists was intentional and targeted." She added that the identities of the two journalists were "very clear," and there were no military facilities nearby.

She said: "We believe that this behavior by Israel and its army seriously violates international law." She also added that Russia would "soon" summon the Israeli ambassador to Moscow. On Thursday, a video released by RT showed journalist Steve Sweeney wearing a bulletproof vest with the word "Media" on it, speaking to the camera just before an explosion occurred a few meters away. The text accompanying the video states that the video shows "the moment an Israeli missile hit near RT journalists," and both journalists were injured.

Ms. Zakharova had previously stated on Telegram, "Given that 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza, the incident today is certainly not accidental."

According to Ruptly, a media outlet under RT, the deceased journalists were in southern Lebanon, where Israel is fighting against Iran-backed Hezbollah and conducting a large-scale military operation in the region to establish a "buffer zone."

The Russian embassy in Lebanon issued a statement condemning the incident and called for "a thorough investigation."

The Israeli military insisted that it "does not target civilians or journalists" and had given the RT team's area "sufficient time" to evacuate before the attack. "Targeting clearly identified journalists constitutes a violation of international law," said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a statement.

According to the CPJ, 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, with two-thirds of the cases attributed to Israel, but Israel denied the accusation.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1860132558193674/

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