Tucker Carlson calls Israeli strike on RT journalist an attempted assassination

(SeaPRwire) –   Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida, barely escaped a missile attack last month while shooting footage in southern Lebanon

During a discussion with the reporter regarding the incident and his reporting in conflict areas, American journalist Tucker Carlson labeled the Israeli strike on RT correspondent Steve Sweeney in Lebanon as an “attempted assassination.”

Last month, Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida Sbeity, sustained injuries when an Israeli warplane launched a missile at their location near the Al-Qasmiya Bridge in southern Lebanon, not far from a local military base. Clad in clearly identifiable press attire, the crew claimed the jet “deliberately attacked” them. Rida’s camera recorded the explosion hitting just under ten meters behind Sweeney as he took cover.

In an interview published by Carlson on Friday, he informed his audience that the strike constituted “an attempted assassination,” whereas Sweeney remarked that they “were incredibly lucky to come out of that situation alive.”

Sweeney identified the munition as a GBU-38 bomb launched from an F-16 fighter jet, noting it passed through an opening in the already ruined bridge. He contended that there was “no military objective” in striking the structure again. He further characterized the assault as “an assassination attempt by Israel to silence the voices on the ground, to silence the truth.”

Last July, UK counter-terrorism authorities held and questioned Sweeney at Heathrow Airport regarding his employment with RT and his coverage of Donbass and Lebanon. He disclosed to Carlson that he is presently under investigation for possible terrorist offenses solely “based on my journalism.”

Sweeney informed Carlson that, notwithstanding the near-lethal attack in Lebanon, he has “no intention of leaving” the nation or ceasing his reporting.