Ben Jeddou: 'You will not be able to silence the voice of Al Mayadeen'
4 Min Read
Mr. Ghassan Ben Jeddou mourns the loss of martyrs Farah Omar and Rabih Me'mari, stressing that all crews stationed in the South are aware that they are targets of "Israel", yet Al Mayadeen will not be silenced.
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Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Mayadeen Media Network Ghassan Ben Jeddou announces the martyrdom of fellow Al Mayadeen correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Rabih Al-Me'mari. (Al Mayadeen)
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al Mayadeen Media Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, announced live on air the martyrdom of our colleagues Farah Omar and Rabih Al-Me'mari, who were martyred as a result of direct Israeli targeting.
Farah and Rabih were martyred earlier today after an Israeli aircraft targeted them in South Lebanon shortly after they finished their update on developments at around 10 a.m.
As he mourned the two martyrs, Ben Jeddou stated that "the occupation targeted the Al Mayadeen crew directly and deliberately." He addressed the Israeli occupation stressing, "you will not be able to silence the voice of Al Mayadeen, and you should know that no matter how much you kill [us] or attempt [to silence] us, we will go on."
"We will remain and continue our coverage and our honorable journalistic work, whose priority is to expose the crimes of the occupation in Gaza, the West Bank, Palestine, and Lebanon," Ben Jeddou confirmed with unwavering confidence.
Ben Jeddou reaffirmed that the situation in Lebanon is that of "a real war, [including] a real Resistance that confronts [the enemy] with strength and sacrifice in support of the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza."
#AlMayadeen's correspondent, Farah Omar, and cameraman Rabih Al-Me'mari were murdered earlier today in an Israeli airstrike in South #Lebanon in a new crime against journalists. pic.twitter.com/AEq1hUx8Xt
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 21, 2023
He once again expressed sadness over the loss of the martyrs, stressing that "at the same time, we are proud as a media outlet that we are rendering [the enemy] sleepless to this treacherous and cowardly Israeli occupation, and we are proud that Al Mayadeen has become, for the occupation, the arch media enemy in the Arab, Islamic, and regional region."
Deliberate and direct targeting of Al Mayadeen Press crew
The targeting of one of the Al Mayadeen crews in southern Lebanon comes in the context of the ongoing occupation targeting press crews, in a deliberate policy to obscure the news outlets from reporting reality as it is.
Ben Jeddou further explained that the primary reports and data gathered on the ground indicate that Al Mayadeen's reporter Farah, and cameraman Rabih, that the Israeli occupation deliberately and directly targeted the crew on the outskirts of the southern town of Teir Harfa, stressing that "our martyrs are joining the caravan of martyrs in Gaza and Lebanon."
"Our dear Farah and Rabih were determined to return to South #Lebanon after their return to #Beirut so that they would continue covering the events at the Lebanese-Palestinian border."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 21, 2023
- The Chairman of the Board of Directors of #AlMayadeen Media Network Ghassan ben Jeddou https://t.co/QBSmEevkj8
Al Mayadeen will 'not be silenced'
Ben Jeddou even stressed that the voice of Al Mayadeen will not be silenced, "whether Farah, Rabih, or others are martyred," as the channel would continue, through its defenders [of freedom] and its journalists, who prove once again that its reporters are patriots and are deeply invested in this coverage," reaffirming that the channel will "confront the Israeli occupation, wherever Al Mayadeen is present."
Moreover, Ben Jeddou emphasized that "we are aware without a doubt, throughout our military coverage, that we, and all our colleagues, who are stationed in the south, are at risk of being targeted."
Ben Jeddou further underscored that Arab media is now being targeted, again, by the Israeli occupation, and for this reason, he urged the media, unions, and Arab media associations to send a message to all Arab and international organizations, stating that "the Israeli criminality that targeted dozens of journalists in Gaza, is now targeting others in Lebanon."
Al Mayadeen banned in Occupied Palestine
The deliberate killing of our beloved colleagues Farah and Rabih comes after the Israeli war cabinet approved on November 13 regulations that would allow the occupation government to ban and shut down Al Mayadeen Media Network.
According to the decision, Al Mayadeen is said to be harming Israeli "national security."
Commenting on this issue, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Mayadeen Media Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, during an interview with Al-Nour Radio, confirmed that "Israel's" decision to ban Al Mayadeen "was not a technical decision. It was not even a political decision. In fact, it was a military decision related to the national security of Israel."
"For the first time in history, the war cabinet, entrusted by the United States to make the most important decisions during this war, met to discuss Al Mayadeen Network as a topic on its agenda," he explained.
