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PARIS - Reuters visuals journalist Issam Abdallah was killed on Oct 13 in southern Lebanon by a "targeted" strike from the direction of the Israeli border, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Sunday (Oct 29), based on preliminary findings of its investigation.
"According to the ballistic analysis carried out by RSF, the shots came from the east of where the journalists were standing; from the direction of the Israeli border," RSF said.
"Two strikes in the same place in such a short space of time (just over 30 seconds), from the same direction, clearly indicate precise targeting."
The RSF report did not conclude who had launched the strike against the journalists or provide its underlying analysis.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the RSF's findings. It has said it does not deliberately target journalists and that it is investigating the Oct 13 incident.
In a statement, Reuters said: "We are reviewing the preliminary conclusion reached by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which found that Issam Abdallah and other journalists in Alma el-Chaab appear to have been deliberately fired upon from the direction of Israel on Oct 13.
"We reiterate our call to the Israeli authorities to conduct a swift, thorough and transparent probe into what happened. And we call upon all other authorities with information about the incident to provide it. We will continue to fight for the rights of all journalists to report the news in the public interest free of harassment or harm, wherever they are."
Abdallah was killed on Oct 13 while working with six other journalists near the village of Alma al-Shaab, close to the Israeli border, where the Israeli military and Lebanese militia Hezbollah have been trading fire.
RSF said its preliminary findings were based on what it described as a "thorough analysis of eyewitness accounts, video footage and ballistics expertise". Its investigation continues, the report added.
"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," the report said. "They were wearing helmets and bullet-proof waistcoats marked 'press'."
Asked why it published preliminary findings and an accompanying six-minute video rather than wait until its investigation had concluded, the head of its Middle East desk, Jonathan Dagher, said: "We are certain of our findings at this stage and wanted the public to know about them.
"There are other elements which we have not yet been able to confirm." He did not elaborate further.
Lebanon's army and government have blamed Israel for Abdallah's death. A Lebanese military source told Reuters that the claim is supported by a technical on-the-ground assessment carried out after the attack.
Source: Reuters
路透社记者在黎巴嫩“有针对性”的袭击中被杀：记者无国界组织初步报告
巴黎 - 无国界记者组织 (RSF) 周日（10 月 29 日）根据其调查的初步结果表示，路透社视觉记者伊萨姆·阿卜杜拉 (Issam Abdallah) 于 10 月 13 日在黎巴嫩南部遭到来自以色列边境方向的“有针对性”袭击身亡 。
无国界记者组织表示：“根据无国界记者组织进行的弹道分析，枪击来自记者站立的地方以东；来自以色列边境的方向。”
“在如此短的时间内（仅 30 秒多一点）从同一方向对同一地点进行两次打击，清楚地表明目标是精确的。”
无国界记者组织的报告没有断定是谁发起了针对记者的罢工，也没有提供其基本分析。
以色列国防军没有立即回应对无国界记者调查结果发表评论的请求。 该公司表示，并非故意针对记者，并且正在调查 10 月 13 日的事件。
路透社在一份声明中表示：“我们正在审查无国界记者组织 (RSF) 达成的初步结论，该结论发现，伊萨姆·阿卜杜拉 (Issam Abdallah) 和 Alma el-Chaab 的其他记者似乎于 10 月遭到以色列方向的蓄意射击。 13.
“我们再次呼吁以色列当局对所发生的事情进行迅速、彻底和透明的调查。我们呼吁所有其他掌握有关该事件信息的当局提供信息。我们将继续争取所有记者的权利 为了公共利益而报道新闻，无论他们身在何处，都不会受到骚扰或伤害。”
10 月 13 日，阿卜杜拉在与其他六名记者在靠近以色列边境的 Alma al-Shaab 村附近工作时被杀，以色列军队和黎巴嫩民兵真主党一直在那里交火。
无国界医生组织表示，其初步调查结果是基于“对目击者描述、视频片段和弹道专业知识的彻底分析”。 报告补充说，调查仍在继续。
“记者不太可能被误认为战斗人员，特别是因为他们没有躲藏：为了获得清晰的视野，他们在山顶上露天待了一个多小时，” 报道称。 “他们戴着头盔，穿着印有“新闻”字样的防弹背心。”
当被问及为什么不等到调查结束才公布初步调查结果和随附的六分钟视频时，其中东部门负责人乔纳森·达格尔 (Jonathan Dagher) 表示：“我们对现阶段的调查结果很确定，并希望公众了解 了解他们。
“还有其他一些因素我们尚未确认。” 他没有进一步说明。
黎巴嫩军队和政府将阿卜杜拉之死归咎于以色列。 黎巴嫩军方消息人士告诉路透社，这一说法得到了袭击后进行的技术实地评估的支持。
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