Updated, 10.15am
JOURNALISTS PAUL CONROY and Edith Bouvier are both now safe in Lebanon after being smuggled out of Syria overnight, according to a report.
Reuters reports that a diplomat in Lebanon confirmed the pair were “safe and sound” this morning.
The news comes after a second attempt to evacuate Conroy and Bouvier from the Syrian city of Homs failed yesterday. They were injured in an attack by security forces last week, which killed reporter Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times and photographer Remi Ochlik.
Aid groups had been seeking to negotiate a way to safely evacuate them from the area, which has been the scene of heavy fighting. The Syrian Red Crescent managed to enter the suburb of Baba Amr yesterday, but left again without the journalists.
According to the BBC, Bouvier refused to board the vehicles and Conroy stayed behind out of solidarity. A previous rescue attempt failed as the journalists feared the vehicles sent to collect them could be compromised by the Syrian regime. However the mission succeeded in rescuing three wounded Syrians, Voice of America reports.
Edith Bouvier is believed to be the most seriously injured, with her leg broken in several places by shrapnel. She made a video appeal to be rescued last week. Paul Conroy has also spoken in a video, saying that “any assistance from agencies would be welcomed”:
(Video: Syrian4allWorld)
The conflict in Homs, where civilians and members of the rebel Free Syrian Army are holed up in some districts under siege from security forces, may be set to intensify.
Reuters cites unconfirmed report this morning that units of an elite armoured division commanded by the brother of President Bashar al-Assad moved into the city overnight.
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