Region
Journalists in Syria in the crosshairs as Israeli forces open fire in Quneitra
The General Union of Arab Journalists has condemned the opening of fire by Israeli occupation forces on field media personnel in the countryside of Quneitra Governorate on November 9 as they carried out their duties and has called for an urgent international investigation.
In a show of solidarity, the Qatari Press Center (QPC) echoed the union’s assertion that targeting journalists is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which guarantees their protection during field assignments. Such practices, the union said, do not merely target individuals; they strike at the journalistic profession itself and represent a direct assault on press freedom and the public’s right to access information.
The union warned of grave threats facing journalists in Syria, particularly in the south, noting that continued attacks jeopardise their safety and their ability to document violations. It held the Israeli occupation authorities legally and morally responsible for their safety throughout Syrian territory.
Firing on journalists, raiding their homes and intimidating their families constitute serious violations of press freedom, international humanitarian law and international resolutions on the protection of media workers, it said.
The union urged the International Criminal Court, human rights institutions and relevant international organisations to launch an urgent investigation, identify those responsible and bring them to justice so that perpetrators do not go unpunished.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) also condemned the targeting of journalists in the Quneitra countryside, saying attempts to stop media personnel from reporting facts and documenting civilians’ suffering amount to an assault on press freedom and the public’s right to know.
The agency stressed that targeting media workers threatens their safety and hinders them from exposing the violations to which civilians are subjected. SANA reaffirmed its commitment to reporting the truth and underscored journalists’ right to work freely and safely, without intimidation or targeted attacks.
Journalists in southern Syria describe constant danger while covering Israeli incursions, compounded by drones, military patrols and the risk of coming under fire or being arrested.
Nour Hassan, a correspondent for the website Al-Modon, said journalists live in constant fear while covering the incursions, facing the risk of gunfire or projectiles launched from drones.
He recounted an assignment during which the area came under artillery fire that set about 20 dunums of land ablaze. Shortly afterwards, his media team was targeted by a drone, forcing them to withdraw, and a second projectile then struck.
Hassan said Israeli rifles, tanks and artillery are frequently directed at journalists in the field. The dangers also permeate daily life, he added, with their homes under constant surveillance by Israeli drones.
Mohammad Fahd, a correspondent for Syria TV, said journalistic work in Quneitra has become fraught with daily risks, which begin the moment a journalist leaves home for field assignments.
Covering Israeli attacks and military incursions exposes media personnel to direct targeting, raids and arrest, he explained, all worsened by the persistent presence of Israeli patrols across the region. The fear and instability have extended to his family: his wife and children live in constant anxiety, fearing that their home might be raided again or that he could be arrested while at work.