BEIRUT // Three journalists working with Hizbollah-owned Al Manar TV were killed on Monday after the car they were travelling in came under a hail of bullets in the Syrian town of Maaloula, the station said.
The three were filming in the historic Christian town after it was seized by the Syrian army when the incident occurred.
Al Manar identified the three as reporter Hamza Al Haj Hassan, technician Halim Allaw, and cameraman Mohammed Mantash. Two of their colleagues were also wounded, it said.
The Lebanese militant Hizbollah is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime. Fighters from the group have travelled to Syria and have been instrumental in helping Syrian troops secure key areas near the Lebanese border.
Backed by Hizbollah fighters, the Syrian government on Monday seized at least three border communities, including Maaloula, north of Damascus.
Al Manar said “gunmen” opened fire on the convoy carrying the crew, using a term often employed by Syrian authorities to refer to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Al Assad.
It showed footage of two cars, including a white SUV carrying broadcasting equipment for live transmission with bullet holes in the doors, windows and wheels and blood on the seats.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the crew was hit by sniper fire from an Islamic brigade in the area. It added that four Syrian soldiers were killed as they tried to rescue Al Manar’s team. The group relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria.
Syrian state-run television said the Al Manar crew came under fire along with a crew from Iran’s state-run Arabic language channel, Al Alam TV.
* Associated Press