The attack against Steve Sweeney, a Russia Today journalist in Lebanon, opens a diplomatic conflict between Russia and Israel

This Thursday, the British journalist Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Alí ​​Rida, miraculously escaped a “deliberate” attack by the Israeli Army while They were reporting for the media Russia Today (RT). In a video played on social networks, the reporter is seen dodging by a few centimeters a projectile that seemed to be aimed at him.

According to agencies, the Russian Foreign Ministry This Friday he summoned the Israeli ambassador in Moscow, Oded Josephto demand explanations for the incident. Russian media claim that the Israeli diplomat arrived at the headquarters of Russian diplomacy, where he remained for half an hour and then left, without making any statements to the press.

Russia Todaythe medium where the British reporter has worked since 2022, is a news network based in Moscow. Be part of the organization TV-Novosti, controlled by the Russian Government and financed by the federal budget.

journalism in Near East It is a high risk profession. According to various sources, they have died since October 2023 256 journalists in Gaza as a consequence of the Israeli attacks on the strip. Dozens of arrests of information professionals have also been documented.

Antonio Guterres, secretary general of United Nations repeatedly condemned the killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. He called the attacks “serious violations of international humanitarian law.” He stressed that journalists and media workers “must be respected and protected.”

The new Israeli offensive on Lebanon began on March 2, two days after the first action on Iran. Israel’s forces have combined massive aerial bombardments and limited ground operations in the south of the country. The target is the Shiite militias of Hezbollah, financed by the ayatollah regime.

According to military sources, the incursions reach 10 km within the lebanese territory. The objective is to create a zone of security and push Hezbollah north of the Litani River. Strategic analysts point out that there would be an attempt to substantially expand the presence in the region to promote a wide-ranging ground operation.

This Thursday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that 1,001 deaths had been recorded since the beginning of the offensive. The Lebanese government estimates that the war has displaced around one million people from the south of the country as a result of Israeli air raids.

Steve Sweeney is an Irish war correspondent. He worked as an international editor for the Morning Stara UK trade union newspaper. He has covered numerous conflicts in Iraq, Kurdistan and Donetsk. He currently resides in Lebanon.