With the fighting in Syria showing no signs of slowing, those covering the civil war are now finding themselves in more danger than ever. According to a report from the Associated Press, a Syrian TV correspondent was gunned down on Monday during fighting near the border of Lebanon and Syria.
The Syrian government has reported that Yara Abbas, a correspondent for the Syrian government-owned Al-Ikhbariyah TV station, was killed by rebels near an air base in the Homs province. Two other station employees were also injured, a cameraman and an assistant.
The incident reportedly took place near the town of Qusair, where heavy fighting between Syria’s government and rebels has taken place this month.
The Syrian civil war grew out of protests that begain in 2011 during the so-called “Arab Spring.” Protesters in the country demanded the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, and the Syrian military was soon called in to end protests. After the military fired on protesters, opposition groups formed into armed militias, igniting a sporadic war with flash points occurring throughout the country. The United Nations has estimated that around 80,000 Syrians have died during the conflict.