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A deadly Israeli attack on a group of journalists in southern Lebanon should be investigated as a possible war crime, international rights groups said on Thursday.
The October 13 attack killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six others.
The attack came as the Israel forces and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah exchanged cross-border fire.
Amnesty International said it had verified more than 100 videos and photographs, interviewed witnesses and analysed weapon fragments from the scene.
The investigation found an Israeli tank fired the first strike at 6.02pm, killing Abdallah and severely injuring AFP photojournalist Christina Assi. The latter, who lost a leg, has undergone more than 15 operation since the attack. A second strike 37 seconds later, from a different weapon, landed near an Al Jazeera car, which caught fire.
"Our investigation into the incident uncovers chilling evidence pointing to an attack on a group of international journalists who were carrying our their work by reporting on hostilities," said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
"Direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks are absolutely prohibited by international humanitarian law and can amount to war crimes," she said.
A joint investigation by AFP and Airwars, a non-profit organisation that monitors civilian casualties in conflicts, found that the attack involved a 120mm tank shell used only by the Israeli army in the region. A large chunk of munition was found close to the body of Abdallah, photos of which were analysed by six weapons experts.
Amnesty said that the journalists had been wearing protective equipment marked "press", while one of the cars had "TV" emblazoned on the roof.
The group had been stationary near the border village of Alma Al Chaab in an open area for about an hour before the attack.
"The findings indicate that the group was visibly identifiable as journalists and that the Israeli military knew or should have known that they were civilians, yet attacked them anyway in two separate strikes 37 seconds apart," Amnesty said.
Ms Mazjoub said that those responsible for Abdallah's death and the attack on the group of journalists "must be held accountable".
"No journalist should ever be targeted or killed simply for carrying out their work. Israel must not be allowed to kill and attack journalists with impunity.
"There must be an independent and impartial investigation into this deadly attack," she added.
Human Rights Watch, which conducted its own investigation, said the two Israeli strikes "were apparently deliberate attacks on civilians, which is a war crime".
“This is not the first time that Israeli forces have apparently deliberately attacked journalists, with deadly and devastating results,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW.
The rights group said its investigation indicated the journalists were "well removed from ongoing hostilities, clearly identifiable as members of the media and had been stationary for at least 75 minutes before they were hit".
The Lebanese government said it would add the findings of the AFP investigation and another one carried out by Reuters to a complaint to the UN Security Council.
“Israeli criminality has no limits. This is what we are witnessing in Gaza and southern Lebanon. The targeting of media institutions also aims to silence every voice that exposes Israeli aggression," Prime Minister Najib Mikati said.
Since hostilities broke out on the southern Lebanese border on October 8, three Lebanese journalists have been killed. Al Mayadeen reporter Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Maamari were killed on November 21 in a strike in the village of Teir Harfa. Their local guide Hussein Akl also died.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
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Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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