Tribute to Reuters Journalist Issam Abdullah with Candlelight Vigil

Friends and family of Reuters journalist Issam Abdullah held a candlelight vigil in Beirut today, marking a week since his death while filming an Israeli tank firing into Lebanon. His loved ones lit candles and displayed his photos at a café in which he owned a share. Abdullah covered some of the most significant news stories of the past decade, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Syria. His sister, Abeer, said, "You were everything to me... I am happy that you are in heaven." Abdullah was awarded a Reuters nomination for Television Photographer of the Year in 2020 for his outstanding coverage of the Beirut port explosion. Abdullah wrote to Reuters editors after a mission in Ukraine last year, "I learned during all the years I covered conflicts and wars with Reuters across the region that the image does not only convey battlefronts and smoke, but also the human stories that no one knows and touch us all from within." The Lebanese army and government blamed Israel for Abdullah's death, while the Israeli army stated it is looking into the matter. Reuters has called for Israel to conduct a "comprehensive, swift, and transparent investigation."