Investigations conducted by the military have revealed that an Israeli tank shell was responsible for striking and killing a Reuters journalist in October 2019.
According to the Israeli military, the shell was responsible for the death of Yemeni journalist, Fares Khorshid, who was reporting on an incident near the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.
It is believed the shell, which was fired from an Israeli-made Merkava Mark IV tank, was intended to neutralize a suspected military target near the area. However, one of the rounds missed its mark, and instead struck and killed Khorshid.
The incident occurred during an attack by the Yemeni government on Houthi rebels in the capital back in October. The events of the battle were reported by Khorshid who—along with other journalists—was submitting reports from the ground.
The findings of the investigation were made public on Monday by the military, with Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing deep regret for the death of the journalist. Netanyahu said the investigations had revealed an error had been committed by the soldier who fired the shell and that the appropriate action would now be taken.
The incident has caused an uproar from the public who are now demanding that the military take responsibility for their mistake and take action against those responsible. They argue that journalists should not be subjected to harm while simply reporting on the events of a conflict.
This incident serves as a somber reminder on the dangers of reporting in an ongoing conflict and of the different layers of carelessness and negligence one can encounter in war.
