WATCH: Harrowing Clip Shows Reporter Nearly Avoiding Airstrike On Live Feed

RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida, were injured in an Israeli strike while filming in southern Lebanon, the crew said.

They said an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at their filming position near Al-Qasmiya Bridge, not far from a local military base. Rida said Israeli forces “deliberately attacked” the crew despite their wearing uniforms displaying their press credentials.

Rida’s camera captured the moment the missile hit as Sweeney was delivering a live report. The video shows the strike landing less than 10 meters behind Sweeney, forcing him to duck for cover as debris and dust blast through the frame.

Both men were conscious and taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to the report. Rida also shared footage showing doctors removing shrapnel from Sweeney’s arm.

In a separate video, he said both he and Sweeney were fine, joking that “it turns out that when a missile is flying at you, you can hear it.”

RT said its journalists have repeatedly been injured while covering major conflicts, including in Ukraine. The network noted that correspondents Igor Zhdanov and Roman Kosarev were wounded in drone and artillery strikes while embedded with frontline units.

RT also pointed to the 2017 death of RT Arabic stringer Khaled Alkhateb, 25, who was killed while covering a Syrian government offensive against Islamic State. The outlet later created the Khaled Alkhateb International Memorial Awards for Best Journalism from a Conflict Zone in his honor.

❗️ Moment Israel DIRECTLY HITS RT crew https://t.co/cxNTq2htyY pic.twitter.com/IWLmKGHwSj

— RT (@RT_com) March 19, 2026

The latest incident is unfolding as Israel presses what it has described as “limited and targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, launched Monday after the Iran-linked group carried out strikes on Israel following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On Wednesday, Israel publicly warned it would target bridges in southern Lebanon. The military said it aimed to hit crossings over the Litani River to prevent Hezbollah from moving reinforcements and weapons south. It also declared the area south of the Zahrani River a military zone and warned vehicles in that zone could be targeted.

Media reports said at least three major bridges over the Litani have been destroyed so far, including one connected to Tyre and another south of Nabatieh, cutting off parts of southern Lebanon.

RELATED: JUST IN: Iran’s De Facto Leader Killed In Israeli Airstrike

Defense Minister Israel Katz called the strikes a “clear message” that Israel will not allow Hezbollah to use Lebanese infrastructure for military purposes.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Israel over Thursday’s strike, arguing the attack on journalists wearing press markings “cannot be called accidental given the killing of two hundred journalists in Gaza.”

“Especially since the rocket did not hit a ‘significant strategic military facility’, but rather the location where the report was being filmed,” she wrote on Telegram, adding that Moscow is “awaiting the response of international organizations.”

RELATED: NEW: Trump Distances U.S. From Israeli Strikes On Iranian Gas Fields, Demands Restraint

Multiple press freedom and human rights groups have accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting journalists. Since the regional escalation began on Feb. 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists has said at least three journalists have been killed in Iran and Gaza.

International observers and local officials have warned the damage to crossings is disrupting civilian movement and aid delivery. A group of European countries and Canada urged Israel to halt the ground operation, warning of “devastating humanitarian consequences.”

Lebanese officials have said more than 1 million people have been displaced by Israel’s ground offensive and airstrikes since the start of the month.

Download the FREE Trending Politics App to get the latest news FIRST >>