07-19-2006, 08:27 PM
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Ben Dowell
Wednesday July 19, 2006
MediaGuardian.co.uk
An al-Jazeera technican was shot by the Israeli military today during the filming of a live report, the Arabic satellite broadcaster has claimed.
Al-Jazeera said that technician Wael Tantous, who was part of a crew covering today's Israeli assault on the West Bank town of Nablus, was shot, but declined to elaborate on the extent of his injuries.
The network claimed the attack came after an Israeli military vehicle suddenly sped up towards al-Jazeera's reporter, Jivara al-Budeiri, in "an apparent attempt to interrupt the report".
Al-Jazeera said that Tantous, who was part of the crew working with al-Budeiri, was subsequently shot and immediately rushed to hospital.
"Since the start of the current war on Lebanon al-Jazeera crews have consistently been targeted by the Israeli authorities, resulting in a constant hindrance and obstruction of their work," the broadcaster said in a statement.
"Al-Jazeera again emphatically expresses its strong denunciation and condemnation of this behaviour and reiterates its right to carry on its coverage with impartiality, objectivity and balance."
The Israeli embassy was unable to comment on the claims at the time of publication.
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Israel Strikes Heart of Beirut
7/19/06
Israeli troops carry out ground assault across Lebanese border as Hezbollah launches fresh rocket attack on Haifa.
BEIRUT & HAIFA, Israel - Israeli naval forces destroyed a truck in central Beirut on Wednesday, the first direct strike in the heart of the Lebanese capital, police said.
There were no casualties when the truck was hit in a parking lot in the Christian neighborhood of Ashrafiyeh, they said.
Israeli troops were also conducting a limited ground assault across the Lebanese border to carry out "pinpoint" raids against Hezbollah outposts, a military source said.
"Our forces have been operating since this morning over our border with Lebanon. These are limited and pinpointed actions aimed at eliminating the threat of Hezbollah near the border," he said.
"The forces are penetrating into Lebanon and pulling out when their mission is accomplished... We're not talking about any large-scale incursion," the source added.
Israel has been sending its troops into Lebanon since it launched a new offensive against the country in a bid to crush the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah militia following the capture of two soldiers on Wednesday of last week.
The Islamic Resistance, Hezbollah's military wing, said in a statement it had rebuffed two Israeli incursion attempts in southern Lebanon.
Since the Israeli offensive began eight days ago, 25 Israelis have been killed, including 13 civilians and 12 soldiers. Close to 300 people in Lebanon have been killed in a wave of punishing attacks from the air and sea.
An Israeli general said the military had destroyed around 50 percent of the rocket and missile supplies of Hezbollah.
"We have already destroyed around 50 percent of the rockets and missiles that Hezbollah had," General Alon Friedman told army radio.
"Our air force will continue their attacks to stop supplies (in rockets) from Syria reaching Hezbollah," he added.
Asked about an end to the fighting, Friedman said only: "Unfortunately it won't be tomorrow".
Meanwhile, eight rockets fired from Lebanon exploded in Israel's northern metropolis of Haifa Wednesday, although there were no reports of casualties, police said and an AFP reporter said.
One rocket hit an empty house, another landed near a restaurant and five rockets fell into the sea, according to the same sources.
The attack was not preceded by the customary sirens although the authorities have instructed the local population to remain in shelters.
A civilian was killed on Tuesday when a rocket hit a park in the resort of Nahariya, bringing to 25 the number of Israelis killed in cross-border violence in the last week.
In total, militants have fired around 850 rockets into northern Israel since an escalation in cross-border fighting last Wednesday, sparked by the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah militants.
The rockets also hit Safed, a Jewish centre of learning, Tiberias on the shores of the Galilee and the town of Shlomi on Tuesday.
This article first appeared at the Middle East Online website.