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Suspects throw hand grenade at Lebanese TV station Al-Jadeed

Lebanese investigators are searching for the suspects involved in a grenade attack at the headquarters of Beirut-based broadcaster Al-Jadeed.

The independent television network was attacked Feb. 2 following a protest for a comedy show called “Qadh and Jam.” Surveillance video shows the vehicle, a Kia Picanto, that investigators believe is responsible for the attack.

A group of protesters are angry over the comedy show’s depiction of “caricatured Druze clergy,” according to the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists, which is now calling on Lebanese authorities to further investigate the crime.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on Lebanese authorities to do their utmost to identify the suspects accused of throwing a hand grenade at a TV station in Beirut. (Screenshot/Al Jadeed)
The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling on Lebanese authorities to do their utmost to identify the suspects accused of throwing a hand grenade at a TV station in Beirut. (Screenshot/Al Jadeed)

“Those who perpetrated this attack on Al-Jadeed TV’s Beirut office should be swiftly held to account to show that attacks on media will not be tolerated in Lebanon,” said Sherif Mansour, the organization’s Middle East and North Africa coordinator. “Lebanese authorities should take steps to ensure the safety of journalists regardless of the outlet they work for and their political or religious affiliation.”

RELATED: LBC television truck stolen outside of Baalbeck hotel

CPJ reported that Druze employees of Al-Jadeed have received anonymous threats following the broadcast of the controversial episode.

According to investigators, a group of unknown suspects threw a hand grenade and fled the scene. No one was injured, but there was reported damage to the entrance and a nearby vehicle.

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 News

This Lebanese-American lawyer sued the Trump administration and won

Head CNN attorney Ted Boutrous recently won the company’s lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration over their decision to revoke journalist Jim Acosta‘s press credentials to the White House.

A few days later, federal Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered the White House to return Acosta’s press pass, according to CNN.

In the lawsuit, Boutrous and CNN claimed a “wrongful revocation” of Acosta’s credentials and argued that the Trump administration “violated CNN and Acosta’s First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their Fifth Amendment rights to due process.”

Lebanese American CNN lawyer Ted Boutrous appears on CNN to talk about the case involving Jim Acosta's press credentials. (CNN screen grab)
Lebanese American CNN lawyer Ted Boutrous appears on CNN to talk about the case involving Jim Acosta’s press credentials. (CNN screen grab)

Acosta clashed with President Trump during a news conference this month with questions about immigration and the special counsel’s investigation. The CNN correspondent would not give up the microphone after the president attempted to move on to another reporter.

CNN hired attorney Ted Boutrous to defend Acosta and attempt to restore his credentials. Boutrous is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and is of Lebanese descent.

RELATED: Meet Donna Shalala: America’s new Lebanese American congresswoman and fierce Trump critic

Boutrous has a history of representing clients in major cases such as Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles, Hollingsworth v. Perry and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes.

WATCH: Boutrous talks about the lawsuit on CNN:

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 Business

Report: Arab newspaper Al-Hayat closes office in Lebanon

Pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat closed its office in Beirut Saturday in an effort to cut costs and downsize its operations, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Saudi-owned news organization was founded in Lebanon in 1946, and survived multiple bombing attempts before the Lebanese Civil War forced its shut down in 1976.

The newspaper reopened its Beirut offices in 1988, but was quickly bought out by Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan.

After 30 years in business, a source told AFP the office closed this weekend as a result of downsizing and “financial reasons.”

“This closure is part of a decision to close all foreign bureaus for financial reasons and transfer the headquarters to Dubai,” the source told AFP.

Al-Hayat shut down its office in Beirut. (File photo)
Al-Hayat shut down its office in Beirut. (File photo)

Al-Hayat has been experiencing changes in its news operation since the beginning of 2018, when the newspaper closed its main headquarters in London and moved to the Gulf.

The newspaper stopped printing in Lebanon, and could soon change its operation to serve readers in the Gulf only, AFP added.

Al-Hayat was founded by journalist Kamel Mroueh, who was later assassinated, as a daily Arabic newspaper.

The newspaper’s Beirut office employed about 100 people.

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 News

LBC television truck stolen outside of Baalbeck hotel

A satellite truck belonging to a Lebanese television station was stolen Saturday outside of a hotel in Baalbeck, one day before the Lebanese parliamentary elections.

The truck was parked outside of the Kanaan Group Hotel in the Ras Al Ain area when it was taken by an unidentified group of people, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.

The photo shows a similar satellite truck that was stolen, but does not belong to LBC.
The photo shows a similar satellite truck that was stolen, but does not belong to LBC.

The satellite truck is used for remote field production, typically to cover live television news events from a mobile location. It features a large satellite used to transmit a live feed back to the LBC central studio.

LBCI, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, is one of the largest privately-owned television stations in Lebanon. The studios are located in Adma wa Dafneh, in the Keserwan District.

 

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 News

ABC News anchor hosts live broadcast from Beirut

ABC News anchorman David Muir hosted a live broadcast from Beirut in the wake of major developments in Syria.

The news anchor, who has been reporting on air since 2009 on ABC World News Tonight, delivered the special report in response to President Donald Trump’s strikes on Syria.

You can watch the broadcast on ABC News, here.

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 Lifestyle, News

Hariri reportedly bans photojournalist for “unofficial” photo

BEIRUT – Prime Minister Saad Hariri has reportedly banned a Lebanese photojournalist from covering events at Beit Al Wasat, Hariri’s upscale mansion, according to a report in Global Voices.

Photojournalist Hussein Baydoun photographed Hariri with one finger in his mouth during a press conference on Oct. 20. He later posted the photo to Twitter with a comment in Arabic that translates to, “For your eyes.”

Baydoun, who works for a London-based Arabic news outlet, was reportedly told he could no longer cover Hariri’s events because the photo was “unofficial.”

Wael Yaman, director of digital and social media at the Future Movement, acknowledged on Twitter that Baydoun could no longer attend events at Beit Al Wasat.

According to a Global Voices article, the prime minister’s office said Beit Al Wasat will be restricted to “permanent reporters” only.

Baydoun’s employer, The New Arab, is standing by its photographer, according to the article.

“I am fortunate that my newspaper is next to me, offering full support,” he told a Global Voices reporter. “We need to have a real photojournalists’ syndicate that fights for our rights.”

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 City Beat, Detroit, News

Lebanese American journalist recognized as ‘Trailblazer’

DETROIT – Former CBS News correspondent Aleen Sirgany was recognized Saturday as a ‘Lebanese American Trailblazer’ for her career in journalism and service to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The gala was held in Detroit by the Lebanese American Club of Michigan (LACOM), a non-profit organization which aims to preserve Lebanese culture in the state.

“I’m honored by this recognition,” Sirgany said. “Lebanon is always in our hearts, in our lives, in our family.”

The former journalist now serves as a senior advisor to the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the fundraising wing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

As a Washington-based CBS correspondent, Sirgany covered dozens of global headlines, including the White House, the attacks on September 11 and Hurricane Katrina.

She was born in Beirut, and spent the first five months of her life in a Lebanese orphanage.

While covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2005, Sirgany wanted to visit Lebanon and see the orphanage where she was born.

“I thought, there is no way I’m going to be so close to Lebanon and not go see my family,” she said. “I did not know I could not have my passport stamped.”

It took Sirgany 10 years to make the trip.

“I fell in love with Lebanon,” she added. “It was so emotional, that it was almost surreal.”

WATCH: Aleen Sirgany Tribute Video

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 News

Israeli forces strike stun grenade at Lebanon-based TV reporter

(BEIRUT) — Israeli police forces fired a stun grenade on Sunday at news reporter Hana Mahameed, striking her directly in the face and causing facial trauma, according to media reports.

Mahameed, who works for the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen television network, was covering clashes between Arab residents and Israeli law enforcement from the Arab neighborhood of al-Issawiya when the attack happened.

Clashes occurred in response to the death of Palestinian teenager Fadi Alloun, who was shot dead by police after he stabbed an Israeli boy on Sunday.

Mahmeed was seen wearing a blue jacket with a signed marked “PRESS” attached to it. According to Ma’an News Agency, “In a video of the incident, the reporter suddenly stops talking during a live report and begins screaming after being hit in the face with a canister.”

Media reports said Mahameed was rushed to a local hospital where she was treated for injuries.

Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri told The Daily Mail, the police responded with ‘riot dispersal means’ and that ‘whoever is present with law-breaking rioters risks getting injured’.

But Mahameed claims Israeli forces aimed directly at her TV crew as they reported live on the neighborhood clashes.

Mahameed courageously returned to work the next day with bandages covering the parts of her face burned by a stun grenade.

WATCH the live report:

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 News

STL finds Lebanese journalist guilty of contempt of court

(HAGUE) — The UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri found Lebanese journalist Karma Khayat, deputy head of news and political programs at Al-Jadeed TV, guilty of contempt of court.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon acquitted Khayat on a more serious charge of interfering with the course of justice by publishing witness material linked to the case. STL had ordered Khayat to remove videos from Al-Jadeed’s website and YouTube channel.

Khayat, who accuses the court of obstructing freedom of the press, will be sentenced on Sept. 28 for ignoring the court order. She could face a fine of 100,000 euros and seven years in prison.

Al-Jadeed was acquitted of corporate liability on both counts. The TV stations used blurred faces and disguised voices in the 2012 broadcasts.

“Al-Jadeed used professional standards,” Khayat said. “If the tribunal’s aim or goal was to put a stop to Al-Jadeed’s investigative reporting on the tribunal, I can assure (you) that we will not stop.”

Prosecutors said the reports undermined the tribunal by exposing witnesses to possible retaliation and discouraging them from offering evidence to the court.

Judge Nicola Lettieri said that there was no evidence that identifying the witnesses had undermined public confidence in the tribunal, but said Khayat should have taken the material down when ordered to do so.

“The individuals who testified stated that they had been afraid … after the airing of the episodes,” he said.

Defense attorney Karim Khan said Khayat would appeal against her conviction.

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 News

LBC reporter attacked during coverage of Beirut protests

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A LBC television reporter was attacked on Saturday while covering the ongoing Beirut protests triggered by a month-long trash crisis and a non-functioning cabinet or parliament.

Reporter Nada Andraos Aziz can be heard screaming as police and protesters surround her amid intense water cannons and tear gas.

According to her Facebook page, Aziz was shaken but not injured following the altercation. Hundreds have posted on her page thanking her for “honest reporting.”

The ongoing demonstrations are the largest in several years, according to several media reports.

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