British journalist Steve Sweeney was injured in an Israeli strike in Lebanon, where recent Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over one million

A British war correspondent and his cameraman were nearly hit by an Israeli missile while reporting live on air.

Steve Sweeney and cameraman Ali Rida, who both work for Russia Today (RT), were injured by shrapnel from an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Thursday, the outlet said.

RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan wrote on X: "Our correspondent Steve Sweeney has been wounded by an Israeli strike in Lebanon. He says an IDF plane fired upon the car carrying Steve and his cameraman, as they were crossing a bridge in the south of the country. Both men are conscious in hospital, doctors are diagnosing extent of shrapnel damage. War journalists are not legitimate targets. We pray for them."

Shocking footage shows Sweeney diving for cover as a missile lands just metres behind him. Moments later, Rida appears to drop his camera, which tilts upwards and captures falling debris and shrapnel. Sweeney can be heard shouting expletives after the strike, which reportedly took place near Al-Qasmiya Bridge, a crossing over the Litani River.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told RT it had issued warnings to stay away from the crossings before the strikes.

"In footage released in the past few hours, a journalist is seen at the Qasmiya crossing. An explicit warning had been issued regarding this area," the IDF said in a statement. "The crossing was struck after sufficient time had passed since warnings. The crossing was again targeted today [Thursday] at 12:30."

"The IDF does not target civilians or journalists and operates in accordance with international law," the statement added.

In a later video posted on his X account, Sweeney claimed the airstrike was "an Israeli precision strike from a fighter jet", calling it a "deliberate, targeted attack on journalists". He said both he and Rida have been treated in hospital for their injuries. "I had a shrapnel wound in my arm, deeply embedded in the bustle here, that’s been taken out - and here it is in this pot here," he said.

Israel has launched waves of airstrikes on southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut - areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence but which are also home to hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Israeli ground troops have pushed deeper into southern Lebanon, with Israel warning residents to evacuate a wide area as it intensifies its offensive against Hezbollah.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since the start of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon's health ministry said on Thursday.

Around one million people in Lebanon have been displaced in just two weeks, according to the International Rescue Committee, which added that the true figure is likely much higher as these people have registered themselves with the government.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, while at least 12 people in Israel have been killed in Iranian missile strikes.