Al Jazeera’s crew were previously targeted on October 9, five days ahead of the incident, while covering a similar attack in the Lebanese village of Dhayra in the south.

Israel deliberately targeted slain Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and wounded six others during the 13 October attack in southern Lebanon, preliminary findings by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) revealed on Sunday.

The probe revisited footage of the cross-border attack where international press crew, including Al Jazeera’s Carmen Joukhadar and Elie Barkhia, were covering the flare up at the Lebanese Alma Al-Shaab area.

“The initial findings of the investigation show that the reporters were not collateral victims of the shooting. One of their vehicles, marked ‘press’, was targeted, and it was also clear that the group stationed next to it was journalists,” RSF said, noting it is still continuing its probe. 

Shortly after the attack, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) issued a statement claiming it was targeting Hezbollah in response to a missile fired from the Lebanese side. IOF spokesperson Richard Hecht had told the Associated Press that they were looking into the incident and were “very sorry” for Abdallah’s “death”.

The Lebanese government said at the time that it was submitting a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council over Israel’s “deliberate killing” of Abdallah and wounding the journalists.

Plenty of footage taken from live broadcasts and witnesses’ testimonies provided evidence of Israel being the sole perpetrator of the attack.

Footage taken from cameras that were recording at the time showed the moment of impact. AFP correspondent Christina Assi was heard screaming “I can’t feel my legs” as a vehicle was engulfed in flames.

RSF, which did not explicitly name Israel as the perpetrator, found that there were two strikes that hit the area where the press teams were working between 4:45pm-6:00 pm Lebanese local time, though both had “different intensity”.

The first strike killed Reuters’ Abdallah and severely wounded Assi while the second blew up Al Jazeera’s vehicle, a white Toyota, RSF said.

The reconstruction of the events, with the help of ballistic analysts, found that the strikes were carried out where the group of journalists had been standing for more than an hour, making it unlikely that they were mistaken for combatants.

“It is unlikely that the journalists were mistaken for combatants, especially as they were not hiding: in order to have a clear field of vision, they had been in the open for more than an hour, on the top of a hill. They were wearing helmets and bullet-proof waistcoats marked ‘press’,” RSF said.

The rights entity explained that “two strikes in the same place in such a short space of time” in the same direction are enough to”clearly indicate precise targeting.”

Speaking to RSF, Al Jazeera’s Joukhadar revealed that an Israeli helicopter was already hovering over the area and could clearly spot the press crew long before the bombing.

Al Jazeera’s crew were previously targeted on October 9, five days ahead of the incident, while covering a similar attack in the Lebanese village of Dhayra in the south.

“According to their testimonies, an Israeli helicopter flew over them before a missile fell next to their car – of the same model as the one bombed on 13 October – also bearing the word ‘press’,” RSF said.

Ongoing targeting of press

The preliminary report echoes Al Jazeera’s statement on the incident, in which it confirmed that the IOF had fired “a guided missile” at its crew as yet another attempt “to silence the media”.

“Israel’s targeting of Al Jazeera team is a blatant disregard of international safety standards that clearly distinguish the press, as they shelled and burned Al Jazeera broadcast vehicles despite our crew’s presence alongside other international media in an agreed upon location,” Al Jazeera said at the time.

The Qatar-based network condemned the “repeated atrocities” which it said had also previously killed veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022. To date, Israel has not been held to account for that killing.

“Al Jazeera holds Israel legally and morally responsible for this brutal attack and calls on the international community to take action to ensure the safety of journalists. We demand that the perpetrators behind this heinous crime are held accountable and brought to justice,” the network said.

Reuters’ statement at the time had failed to condemn the killing of its journalist.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that our videographer, Issam Abdallah, has been killed,” Reuters said, without mentioning Israel.

Over the years, Al Jazeera has been subjected to various deliberate attacks by Israel for its detailed and impartial coverage of the violence committed by the IOF against Palestinians, including the latest war on Gaza.

Last week, Israel targeted and killed the family of Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera Gaza’s bureau chief, in what has been widely slammed as an attempt to further silence the network. The IOF killed Dahdouh’s wife, son, daughter and infant grandson as they sheltered in a temporary house in the south of Gaza, which Israel had claimed is a safe zone.

Speaking outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, Dahdouh suggested his family were targeted for his work.

“What just happened is clear; it’s part of the ongoing targeting of women and children in Gaza. I was just reporting on the Israeli strikes that have targeted the Nuseirat area.”

He added: “We knew the Israeli occupation would not leave us without punishing us. They are taking out their revenge onto the children. But our tears are human, not out of cowardice,” he added.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7, the IOF has killed at least 24 Palestinian and one Lebanese journalist, per figures by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

At least 8,005 Palestinians, including 3,195 children, have been killed by Israel since it declared war on October 7.