An intense altercation erupted on Wednesday in Saïda between a Lebanese army officer and several press photographers who had come to cover the site of an Israeli drone strike that targeted a utility vehicle earlier in the day. The incident led to shoving, tense verbal exchanges, and the temporary confiscation of a photographer’s phone, before the situation was eventually defused following interventions from the army’s orientation department and the Syndicate of Press Photographers.
According to our correspondent in South Lebanon, Mountasser Abdallah, the events took place shortly after an Israeli strike occurred before 1 p.m., which killed the driver of a vehicle and injured its passenger near the city’s stadium. Several photographers quickly arrived on the scene to document what had happened. “When we arrived, everything was already over. There were no casualties in the vehicle left at the scene. Other photographers were already present, some live. We were doing our job as usual after a strike, and law enforcement was on-site,” recounted independent photographer Fadel Itani to L’Orient-Le Jour.
“An officer of the Lebanese army and his team arrived, determined to push the photographers away. Without hesitation, he ordered us to move away, using inappropriate language. My colleague Mohammad Zeinati (Al-Afdal TV) was pushed and reacted by asking the lieutenant to calm down. The tension rose between them. I tried to intervene to calm the situation, but I was pushed as well. Mohammad received two blows. He then threatened to call the army’s orientation department (which handles press relations), prompting the officer to confiscate his phone,” Fadel Itani further reported.
The incident was quickly contained after actions were taken on both sides, and Mohammad Zeinati was able to retrieve his phone. However, the misunderstanding remains. “Why this offensive tone, when we did not show disrespect to the army?” questioned the photographer.
The reaction from the Syndicate of Press Photographers in Lebanon was swift. In a statement, they condemned “the assault against Mohammad Zeinati, Fadel Itani, and other colleagues, as they were carrying out their professional duties covering the Israeli aggression in Saïda.” “The syndicate deems this assault by a historic national institution, meant to protect journalists and civilians in their truth-telling mission, as unacceptable,” the statement adds.
While expressing respect for the role played by security institutions in maintaining order, the syndicate categorically rejects any attacks on journalists during their work and asserts that press photographers are not part of the conflict, but mere witnesses to events and conveyors of facts. “Targeting them is a blatant violation of press freedom and citizens’ right to information,” the statement emphasized, calling on the army’s commander-in-chief to conduct an investigation to clarify the facts. The syndicate also urges the Minister of Information to take a firm stand and ensure the protection of journalists and photographers during their missions.
