By Sabiu Abdullahi
A British journalist narrowly escaped death after a missile exploded just metres from his position while he was reporting in southern Lebanon on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
Steve Sweeney, the Lebanon Bureau Chief for RT, was covering the destruction of civilian infrastructure near the Al-Qasmiya Bridge when the strike occurred. Dramatic footage showed Sweeney diving for cover as the missile hit the ground behind him, sending thick black smoke into the air.
Both Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida, suffered shrapnel injuries and were taken to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
After surgery to remove shrapnel from his arm, Sweeney accused the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of trying to “silence” journalists reporting on what he described as a widespread campaign of ethnic cleansing.
“Today I$rael tried to kill me in a targeted airstrike in southern Lebanon as I was reporting on was the targeting of bridges and the forced displacement of 1 million people, an ethnic cleansing operation on a larger scale than the Nakba,” Sweeney stated on his X handle.
He rejected claims that the strike was accidental, emphasizing that his team was wearing marked “PRESS” vests and had permission from the Lebanese Army to film.
“I have absolutely no doubt that this was deliberate. Despite claims there were no warnings ahead of the strike and no notifications sent to the Lebanese Army who allowed us to film,” Sweeney said.
The journalist also criticized international backers of Israel, accusing Western powers of enabling the violence.
“It is the western powers who provide political and military support for Israel, arming it to the teeth to carry out genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing here in Lebanon,” he said. “They are not simply complicit, but active participants and should be held accountable.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack. Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that the strike “cannot be called accidental,” noting that over 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the regional conflict began.
While the IDF claimed the bridge was a “Hezbollah crossing” and that warnings had been posted online, Sweeney said no direct notification reached either the journalists or the Lebanese Army units securing the area.
Despite the near-fatal attack, Sweeney vowed to continue reporting from the region.
“If Israel thinks today’s strike will silence us and keep us out of the field, they are very, very mistaken,” he concluded.
