Salvini Sparks Debate Over RAI Independence After Unfiltered Monologue Airing
October 1, 2024
Shut Out of the Debate: RSF Urges UK Parties to End Media Access Restrictions
October 1, 2024
October 01, 2024 – Syria –
Israeli airstrikes rocked Damascus, hitting the Mezzeh district and its surroundings. Refugee and news agencies reported that at least three civilians were killed, and nine injured, as Syrian air defenses scrambled in response to incoming drones and missiles—allegedly launched from the occupied Golan Heights.
Among the dead was Safaa Ahmad, a well-known presenter on Syria State TV. Joining the station in 2002, she hosted cultural talk shows and the flagship morning program “Sabah Al-Kheir”. Her death marked the first journalist killed in Syria in 2024.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), alongside the Syrian Journalists’ Union (SJU), strongly condemned the killing. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger condemned the “shocking disregard for journalists’ safety” and emphasized that under international law, such attacks must be investigated and brought before the International Criminal Court. The SJU lamented the loss, calling on global media organizations to hold the perpetrators accountable.
This tragedy follows a grim sequence of journalist deaths tied to hostilities around Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria since the war began after Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023—including two journalists in Lebanon and a Palestinian reporter in Gaza. The attack underscores the increasing danger journalists face, even within cities once deemed relatively off-limits.
The killing of Safaa Ahmad amplifies deeply troubling trends: civilian casualties in populated areas, attacks hitting media figures, and a deteriorating safety environment for journalists. Media freedom organizations insist that all conflict parties must strictly observe protections for journalists, who are classified as civilians under international humanitarian law.
With its attack extending into Syria’s capital, Israel’s military actions demonstrate the escalation of hostilities beyond Gaza’s borders—and the inherent risk to uninvolved civilians and journalists in these conflict zones.
Reference –
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2573471/media
Syria: Israeli airstrike kills state TV anchor in Damascus – IFJ
