Investigations say Israeli tank shells struck and killed Reuters journalist in Lebanon in October

Fatma Kanso, the mother of Issam Abdallah, a Lebanese national and Reuters videojournalist who was killed in southern Lebanon, mourns over her son's body during his funeral in his home town of Al Khiyam, Lebanon, on October 14. Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Investigations by two news organizations and two human rights groups made public on Thursday say that Israeli tank shells killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists in southern Lebanon in October.

The reports by Reuters, AFP, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch drew on forensic analysis, witness testimony and interviews with government officials, lawyers and medical professionals.

The findings are in line with a CNN analysis of the events conducted at the time. A CNN team that was nearby in southern Lebanon reported at the time that the projectile that hit the journalists on October 13 came from Israel. 

CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the allegations.

Eylon Levy, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said Thursday that he was “not familiar” with the new reports.

“The guiding principle in Israel's campaign against Hamas is we uphold the principles of international law regarding proportionality, necessity, distinction,” he said. “We target Hamas, we do not target civilians.”

IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht on October 14 called Abdallah’s death “a tragic thing” without naming him directly or acknowledging Israel’s involvement. The same day, the IDF said, "A report was received that during the incident, journalists were injured in the area. The incident is under review.”

AFP and HRW claim in their reports that the strike was a "deliberate," targeted attack by Israel on the journalists. In a statement to Reuters, Hecht said, "We don't target journalists." He did not provide further comment, the news agency reported.

Abdallah, 37, was killed and six other reporters were wounded while filming the Israeli border from southern Lebanon. AFP photographer Christina Assi had her leg amputated and remains in the hospital, according to AFP.

After analysis of weapon fragments found at the scene, the reports say the journalists were killed and wounded by a 120mm tank round of Israeli origin "that is not used by any other groups in the region."

According to official statements and CNN’s video analysis and geolocation of the incident, at least six other journalists from AFP, Reuters and Al Jazeera all wearing body armor clearly labeled as “press” were injured in the blast.

Amnesty International’s investigation did not find "any indication that there were any fighters or military objectives at the site of the strikes.”