XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.misc, alt.censorship
XPost: alt.politics

An American investigative reporter has been charged in Israel for “aiding
the enemy” following his coverage of Iran’s retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas’ lead ceasefire negotiator Ismail Haniyeh.

Jeremy Loffredo, 28, who reports for the US-based Grayzone News, was among
five journalists beaten and detained by Israeli forces earlier this week.

Andrey X—one of the other journalists—reported on X/Twitter that “today I was beaten, kidnapped, blindfolded and taken to a military base by the
Israeli Occupation Forces, together with 4 other journalists.”

He would further add that “two of us were held for 11 hours without
charges, my phone was confiscated (stolen), and one of us is still in custody.”

Max Blumenthal—the editor of the Grayzone—later confirmed Loffredo’s detention on social media, reporting that the journalist’s phone had been confiscated.

Israeli media subsequently reported that Loffredo—the last journalist still in custody—was being charged with “aiding the enemy during wartime” and “providing information to the enemy.”

According to Ynet news, Loffredo’s arrest stems from his reporting on the locations where Iranian missiles struck, including the IDF’s Nevatim Air
Base and an intelligence facility in central Israel.

His report also mentioned that attacks on Gaza were being launched from the Nevatim base and noted the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government jet at the facility.

Loffredo’s detention has sparked concerns about a potential diplomatic incident between Israel and the United States, given his status as a
foreign journalist and a US citizen.

Representatives from the U.S. Embassy attended a court hearing regarding
the police request to extend his detention.

Attorney Leah Tsemel, representing Loffredo, defended her client’s actions, stating, “He published the information openly and fully, without attempting to hide anything.”

She argued that if such reporting constitutes aiding the enemy, many other journalists in Israel, including Israeli reporters, should also face
arrest. “A spy would not have acted so publicly and transparently,” Tsemel added.

Fellow Grayzone journalist Aaron Maté criticized the detention, stating, “Israel is detaining and prosecuting an American journalist for doing journalism” and questioned whether other media colleagues would defend him.

According to reports, Loffredo had traveled to Israel to document impact
sites from the Iranian attack that had not been reported by Israeli authorities, including areas near the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv.

His last social media post, which detailed damage to Israel’s strategic locations that mainstream media allegedly did not report, has reportedly
been restricted from being shared on X/Twitter

At the end of August, the Israeli government issued a ban on media coverage
of damage caused by Hezbollah strikes.

Subsequently, a similar order was enforced after Iran struck Israeli
military targets at the beginning of the month in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas ceasefire negotiator Ismail Haniyeh.

Iran’s retaliation came after Israel further escalated regional tensions by assassinating Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah by leveling an entire neighborhood.

Israel is now reportedly planning their retaliation against Iran which
could spark a regional war.

<https://justicereport.news/2024/10/10/american-journalist-charged-in-israel-for-reporting-on-damage-caused-by-iranian-retaliation/>

<https://archive.ph/RHVIJ>

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