CNN Journalist Put In Chokehold By Soldiers In Middle East: Report

Israeli troops were caught on camera roughing up a CNN crew in the West Bank, putting a photojournalist in a chokehold and hauling off reporters at gunpoint during a tense field interview.

The incident unfolded as the crew was speaking with Palestinians in the town of Tayasir, where Israeli Defense Forces soldiers suddenly moved in, pointed weapons at the group, and detained them for roughly two hours, according to CNN.

Video and eyewitness accounts described a chaotic scene as CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos was restrained in a chokehold while the rest of the team was forced into custody.

The journalists had been reporting on a recent wave of settler attacks in the area, including a brutal assault that left 75-year-old Abdullah Daraghmeh with a fractured skull, the outlet reported.

The confrontation comes as tensions continue to boil over in the West Bank, where reports of settler violence have surged. Last year saw a record level of settlement expansion since the United Nations began tracking the activity, according to the BBC.

More than 500,000 Israelis currently live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, alongside roughly 3 million Palestinians, according to the Times of Israel.

Violence in the region has also turned deadly in recent days. The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry said Israeli troops shot and killed three Palestinians over a 24-hour span, including 15-year-old Adham Dahman.

Facing backlash, the Israeli military acknowledged the confrontation with the media crew, but stopped short of addressing the broader violence.

“The actions and behavior of the soldiers in the incident are incompatible with what is expected of IDF soldiers operating in the Judea and Samaria area,” the IDF told CNN.

The military said the incident will be “thoroughly reviewed,” but did not respond to CNN’s questions about rising settler violence in the West Bank.

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