Western Media’s Silence on Israeli Attack on RT Journalist Raises Concerns
An Israeli airstrike on March 19, 2026, narrowly missed a reporting team in southern Lebanon, injuring RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida Sbeity. The journalists were filming near the Qasmiyeh Bridge, north of Tyre, when the strike occurred, sending shrapnel into their bodies.
Sweeney, a British journalist, and Sbeity were documenting the impact of renewed Israeli attacks following the outbreak of the Iran war, focusing on the targeting of bridges and the displacement of civilians. According to Sweeney, the missile struck in plain sight, suggesting a deliberate targeting. “I’m amazed that we survived. We were incredibly lucky to come away with the injuries we did,” he stated.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the attack, stating that striking reporters clearly marked as press constitutes a violation of international law. CPJ called for an investigation into the apparent targeting, noting that both Sweeney and Sbeity were wearing clearly marked press gear and their equipment was visible. The organization highlighted Israel’s history of attacks on journalists, stating it has been responsible for two-thirds of all press killings globally in both 2025 and 2024, and more targeted killings of journalists than any other government’s military since 1992.
The incident occurred just one day after Mohammad Sherri, an Al-Manar TV journalist, was killed in an Israeli strike on his home in Beirut, along with his wife and injuring his son, Yasser Sherri, an editor at Aletejah. Sweeney had posted about Sherri’s death on X, calling the targeting of journalists a war crime.
Russian officials have also condemned the attack on Sweeney and Sbeity. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the strike could not be considered accidental, particularly as the missile did not hit a strategic military facility but a filming location. RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan also asserted that the journalists were deliberately targeted, stating, “War journalists are not legitimate targets.”
The response from Western media and governments has been markedly muted. The BBC reported the incident with the headline, “Missile lands next to presenter during live report from Lebanon,” downplaying the severity of the attack and the potential for deliberate targeting. The Independent did not mention the Israeli bombings of Lebanon at all. The British Foreign Office responded to inquiries about the attack by reiterating its pre-existing position blaming Iran and Hezbollah, and offering continued support for British nationals in the region, a statement that did not specifically address Sweeney’s case.
Despite the attack, Sweeney returned to reporting in the field the same day, stating, “If Israel thinks today’s strike will silence us and keep us out of the field they are very, very mistaken.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously announced that the IDF destroyed at least two bridges over the Litani River, claiming Hezbollah was using them to smuggle weapons and move fighters southward. The strikes have forced over one million people from their homes south of the Litani River.