Israeli TV presenter faces criticism after blowing up building in Lebanon
An Israeli TV presenter has come under criticism after being filmed blowing up a building in Lebanon during a broadcast.
Danny Kushmaro, a news presenter on Channel 12, was shown wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet while a soldier instructed him on how to detonate an explosive device.
A soldier told Kushmaro that a nearby building had been used to launch rockets into northern Israel. After a countdown, the journalist then pressed the detonator button, destroying the building.
No additional details were provided on the location of the report.
The incident drew condemnation on social media, with many calling it a violation of journalistic ethics.
Etan Nechin, New York correspondent for Haaretz, described the report as "sickening" and said it came at a time when Palestinian and Lebanese journalists were facing unprecedented numbers of killings and arrests.
Ofer Cassif, an MP for the left-wing Hadash party, pointed out the irony that the following report on the Channel 12 bulletin focused "on Hamas terrorists disguised as journalists".
Israel’s war on Lebanon has killed over 2,500 people in the country since it began last October, with most casualties occurring in the intensified bombing campaign that started last month.
Israeli forces have also killed at least 12 Lebanese journalists in the past year, nine of them since September, according to the Samir Kassir Foundation's SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom.
An Israeli strike on Friday hit a compound in the southeastern Lebanese town of Hasbaya, killing three media workers and injuring three others.
Pan-Arab channel Al Mayadeen said that Ghassan Najjar, one of its camera operators, and broadcast technician Mohammad Reda were among those killed in the strike.
Hezbollah's Al Manar TV said that its camera operator, Wissam Qassim, was also killed in the same strike.
Journalists had gathered in Hasbaya, considering it relatively safe after the Israeli army escalated attacks on other areas in southern Lebanon.
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