(José Niño, Headline USA) A British journalist narrowly escaped death when an Israeli missile struck just meters from where he was filming in southern Lebanon, capturing the harrowing moment on camera before being wounded by shrapnel.
Steve Sweeney, a correspondent for Russian state media outlet RT, and his cameraman Ali Rida Sbeity were reporting near the Qasmiyeh Bridge on Thursday, when the strike occurred. Dramatic video by Newsweek captured Sweeney wearing a press flak jacket before diving forward as a blast erupted directly behind him. The force of the explosion knocked the camera to the ground.
Both men sustained shrapnel wounds and were transported to a nearby hospital, where they were described as conscious and in stable condition, per The Standard.
Sweeney maintains the strike was deliberate. He stated he has “absolutely no doubt” Israel targeted them intentionally, arguing that the military could monitor their every movement and the bridge was already destroyed, eliminating any military rationale for another strike.
The moment Israel targeted British journalist Steve Sweeney in southern Lebanon.pic.twitter.com/sbxhDAK5fI
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) March 19, 2026
The journalists were documenting a major Israeli military escalation in southern Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had announced the IDF destroyed at least two bridges over the Litani River, claiming Hezbollah was using them to smuggle weapons and move fighters southward, according to Reuters. Per The National, Israeli military orders covering the entire area south of the Litani River had forced over one million people from their homes.
The renewed conflict stems from a breakdown of the 2024 ceasefire following Hezbollah’s missile launches into Israel on March 2, 2026. Those attacks came after Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
