BBC driver killed in Lebanon

Israeli shelling sends Lebanese diving for cover

A driver working with a BBC camera crew covering the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon has been killed after his car was hit by a single tank round.

His car, which was parked while the crew were filming, took a direct hit. Flames engulfed the vehicle trapping Abed Takoush inside.

Israel said the shell was fired by the South Lebanon Army.

The BBC crew had been filming near the village of Bint Jbeil, which Israel abandoned during the night in their accelerated retreat from south Lebanon.

Another Lebanese man was killed on the same stretch of road about the same time.

BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen said: "We had gone about a 100 metres from the car when it was hit. There was a huge fire."

"I was in sight of the Israeli settlement. I thought it would be fairly quiet. I even waved my arms over my head to show we were civilians. I had no helmet and was wearing a pink shirt, " he said.

Neither he nor cameraman Malek Kenaan were hurt in the incident.

Jeremy Bowen is one of the BBC's most experienced foreign correspondents, and has covered conflicts around the globe.

In a tribute to his colleague he said Abed had worked for the US network NBC and for the BBC in Lebanon for 25 years.

He said Abed Takoush was a family man, proud of his country and his work.

More than 80 journalists and media staff were killed last year, according to the International Federation of Journalists.