Russia TV or RT correspondent Steve Sweeney had a narrow escape while was mid-report, wearing a clearly marked press vest, when an Israeli missile struck the area directly behind him. The camera tilts as debris and shrapnel fly toward the crew. Sweeney is seen ducking a split second before impact. Both he and cameraperson Ali Rida were injured and taken to hospital.
According to RT News, the crew was filming near the Al-Qasmiya Bridge in southern Lebanon, not far from a local military base, when an Israeli aircraft fired directly at their position.
Rida alleged the attack was deliberate. “They could clearly see our press credentials,” he said, sharing a separate clip of doctors removing shrapnel from Sweeney’s arm.
Watch video:
❗️ Moment Israel DIRECTLY HITS RT crew
— RT (@RT_com)
In a subsequent video filmed from hospital, Rida confirmed both he and Sweeney were stable. He added, with dark humour: “It turns out that when a missile is flying at you, you can hear it.”
The incident has intensified international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct toward press crews operating in active conflict zones in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have continued to hit civilian and infrastructure targets throughout the US-Israel-Iran war.
