Sniper kills Syrian journalist from pro-Assad TV
A Syrian rebel sniper observes the movement of Syrian government forces near Al-Kendi hospital in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on April 10, 2013.
A popular journalist for Syria's state-run television was killed by sniper fire outside the al-Debaa airport near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday.
Yara Abbas, 26, a reporter for the pro-regime al-Ikhbariya channel, died in an offensive by forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad, attempting to recapture the area from the opposition.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based pro-opposition watchdog group, reported on its Facebook page that other members of Abbas' crew had been injured in the fight.
"A female news correspondent for the pro-regime al-Ikhbariya television channel was killed by a sniper near the Debaa airport, several others from the news crew were injured," the rights group said.
Syrian television said Abbas had been targeted by "terrorists," a name pro-regime media uses to describe the various factions of the Free Syrian Army and other opposition forces fighting to oust Assad.
“Colleague Yara Abbas, a correspondent at al-Ikhbariya, was martyred after being shot by terrorists near Al-Dabaa airport on the outskirts of Qusayr,” the state-run SANA news agency reported.
The battle for Qusayr, a strategic town for both the regime and the opposition, has raged for days, with activists saying the regime is dropping about 40 shells per minute.
The story you just read is not locked behind a paywall because listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World. Can we count on you?