LONDON: Journalist Liam Cosgrove criticized US foreign policy spokesperson Matt Miller during a press briefing on Tuesday, accusing the US of hypocrisy for its stance on the Middle East conflict.

During the briefing, Cosgrove questioned the US administration’s moral authority while addressing the escalating violence in the Middle East, which he argued risked a clash between nuclear powers such as Iran and Russia.

Cosgrove pressed Miller, saying: “My question for you is, you know we often hear in response to these concerns that while Putin, Khomeini, you know they’re terrorists, as if they’re too inherently evil or immoral for us to negotiate with. But meanwhile, this administration has financed a genocide in Gaza for the last year, and every day you’re up there denying accountability for it. So, what gives you the right to lecture other countries on their morals?”

Miller avoided addressing the accusation directly, responding that he would take “policy questions” but declined to comment on Cosgrove’s assertion.

“If you want to give a speech there’re plenty of places in Washington where you can give a speech,” Miller said.

Cosgrove replied: “People are sick of the bullshit in here. It (the Gaza war) is a genocide. You are abetting it. And you are risking a nuclear war in Ukraine for this proxy war.”

The clip of the confrontation quickly gained traction online, with many users praising Cosgrove for his outspokenness.

“Finally someone had the guts to tell things we are screaming to our phones for a year now,” one user said.

Another thanked the Cosgrove for “saying what most people of conscience feel.”

The heated exchange between the correspondent for The Grayzone blog and Miller underscored the growing frustration journalists face when covering complex conflicts with competing narratives.

Since the conflict between Hamas and Israel reignited more than a year ago, media outlets have been under constant scrutiny, accused of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian bias.

With international journalists largely blocked from entering Gaza and Israeli authorities accused of restricting media freedom, many media organizations argue that relying on official sources has only deepened the divide in narratives, further eroding public trust in news reporting and fueling the spread of misinformation.

“Israeli forces have systematically restricted coverage of Gaza and targeted journalists who take enormous risks to report the truth. This has directly impacted global access to information on the war, which is critical to the public interest. Journalists must be allowed to do their jobs, and the world has the right to know what’s happening in Gaza,” said Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns at Reporters Without Borders.

LONDON: Italian journalist Lucia Goracci and cameraman Marco Nicois were attacked in Lebanon on Tuesday while covering the situation near the Israeli border in Sidon. Their local driver, Ahmad Akil Hamzeh, tragically died of a heart attack during the incident.

The RAI TG3 crew, from Italy’s state television, had been reporting on the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike when they were confronted by an unidentified man who attempted to seize their camera.

“We were in Jiyeh, north of Sidon, at the site of a bombing that took place two nights ago,” Goracci recounted during a live broadcast, visibly shaken by the attack.

“The fixer had reported our presence to Hezbollah. We were filming without problems, and people were talking to us,” Goracci said. “Then someone appeared and tried to snatch the camera from us. We got back in the car ready to leave quickly, but more people arrived.”

Chased and attacked by the man, who reportedly threw a stone at them, they were confronted a second time at a gas station outside town.

“He was following us, and when the driver stopped at a gas station, by then we were out of town, he came at us, snatched the keys, tried to destroy the camera while no one came to our aid,” Goracci said.

Hamzeh, the driver and longtime collaborator, tried to mediate but collapsed unexpectedly.

“He passed away, fell to the ground. We ran to the hospital, and they told us that he had died after long attempts to revive him,” the journalist continued.

Marcello Greco, deputy editor in chief of foreign affairs at TG3, expressed shock at the attack and extended condolences to Hamzeh’s family.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also voiced solidarity with the TG3 team and offered heartfelt sympathy to Hamzeh’s loved ones.

While initial reports suggested the attackers may have been Hezbollah supporters, Goracci later told Italian news agency ANSA that the incident “was an outburst without any political implications,” caused by widespread tension among the population of the areas under attack.

Goracci, mourning the loss of her friend and colleague, said, “We have no words to describe Ahmed’s human depth and great sweetness.”