Israeli security forces on Tuesday detained a reporter and cameraman from Turkey’s CNN Türk during a live broadcast in Tel Aviv amid an escalation of hostilities following Iranian missile strikes, the network and Turkish officials said. The two were later released, CNN Türk said.
The incident came as Iran began retaliatory strikes against Israeli targets after a wave of joint attacks by the United States and Israel on Tehran, which began on Saturday and has so far claimed more than 700 lives in Iran.
CNN Türk correspondent Emrah Çakmak and cameraman Halil Kahraman were reporting live as tensions spiked, describing the aftermath and scenes of civilians emerging from shelters when security personnel approached them and halted the broadcast.
Footage from the live transmission showed officers asking the crew to stop filming. CNN Türk said the two journalists were taken into custody and their phones confiscated.
In a phone call made with permission after their detention, Kahraman told network executives that both he and Çakmak were in good health but remained in custody without access to their phones.
The incident sparked criticism from Turkish officials. Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said efforts were underway to secure the journalists’ release.
“We are faced with yet another example of Israel’s actions against the press to conceal the truth,” Duran said in a statement on X, adding that efforts were underway to ensure their immediate release.
Turkey’s Journalists’ Union also condemned the detentions.
In a statement on X the union said blocking journalists who are responsible for informing the public and failing to ensure their safety in war zones constitute violations of press freedom.
The union called on Israeli authorities to immediately release the detained journalists.
The escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran has included multiple rounds of missile exchanges and reprisals, contributing to rising tensions and widespread concern over regional instability.
Tuesday’s detention came amid mounting scrutiny of Israel’s record on press freedom during the ongoing Gaza war.
According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, a record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, with roughly two-thirds of those deaths attributed to Israeli forces.
In its annual report released last week, the organization said Israeli fire killed 86 journalists last year, the majority of them Palestinians reporting from Gaza. The group also said Israel was responsible for 81 percent of cases in which journalists were found to have been intentionally targeted.
“Israel is engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented,” the group said.