LONDON — Italian journalist Lucia Goracci and cameraman Marco Nicois were attacked in Lebanon on Tuesday while covering the situation near the Israeli border in Sidon. Their local driver, Ahmad Akil Hamzeh, tragically died of a heart attack during the incident.
The RAI TG3 crew, from Italy’s state television, had been reporting on the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike when they were confronted by an unidentified man who attempted to seize their camera.
“We were in Jiyeh, north of Sidon, at the site of a bombing that took place two nights ago,” Goracci recounted during a live broadcast, visibly shaken by the attack.
“The fixer had reported our presence to Hezbollah. We were filming without problems, and people were talking to us,” Goracci said. “Then someone appeared and tried to snatch the camera from us. We got back in the car ready to leave quickly, but more people arrived.”
Chased and attacked by the man, who reportedly threw a stone at them, they were confronted a second time at a gas station outside town.
“He was following us, and when the driver stopped at a gas station, by then we were out of town, he came at us, snatched the keys, tried to destroy the camera while no one came to our aid,” Goracci said.
Hamzeh, the driver and longtime collaborator, tried to mediate but collapsed unexpectedly.
“He passed away, fell to the ground. We ran to the hospital, and they told us that he had died after long attempts to revive him,” the journalist continued.
Marcello Greco, deputy editor in chief of foreign affairs at TG3, expressed shock at the attack and extended condolences to Hamzeh’s family.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also voiced solidarity with the TG3 team and offered heartfelt sympathy to Hamzeh’s loved ones.
While initial reports suggested the attackers may have been Hezbollah supporters, Goracci later told Italian news agency ANSA that the incident “was an outburst without any political implications,” caused by widespread tension among the population of the areas under attack.
Goracci, mourning the loss of her friend and colleague, said, “We have no words to describe Ahmed’s human depth and great sweetness.”
AN