CNN Journalist ‘Choked’ by Israeli Soldiers Before Being Detained (Video)

A routine reporting trip turned into a chaotic and frightening ordeal when a CNN crew found themselves face-to-face with armed Israeli soldiers in the West Bank — a confrontation that the network says escalated into physical force and detention.

CNN correspondent Jeremy Diamond and his team, including cameraman Cyril Theophilos, were on the ground documenting reported settler violence at an unauthorized outpost when the situation suddenly spiraled.

Video from the scene shows multiple soldiers in full combat gear advancing toward the journalists, at least one pointing a rifle directly at the camera while shouting commands. The crew can be heard identifying themselves as members of the press in an attempt to defuse the tension — but it didn’t stop what happened next.

According to Diamond, things quickly turned physical.

“The commander came straight for our camera… a soldier has just put photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold,” Diamond said as the footage jolts and drops toward the ground.

Moments later, the camera captures the aftermath — soldiers looming over the crew as they are forced down and ordered to stop filming. Diamond’s phone was reportedly slapped away, and the camera equipment was damaged during the confrontation.

The situation didn’t calm after that. The crew says they were detained for nearly two hours while soldiers checked their passports and escorted them back to their vehicle. At one point, a soldier reportedly taunted Diamond while standing outside his car, underscoring just how tense the standoff had become.

Even more striking were remarks allegedly made by soldiers during the incident. Footage and reports indicate some expressed hardline views about the territory, with one acknowledging the outpost’s illegal status under Israeli law — while insisting it would eventually become legal.

Diamond later said the encounter revealed deeper concerns about what journalists and observers have long reported in the region.

“The two hours we spent detained laid bare the ideology motivating many of the soldiers operating in the West Bank,” he said, pointing to ongoing accusations that some troops either support or fail to intervene in settler-related violence.

The incident comes amid a surge in reported clashes in the West Bank. In recent days, multiple فلسطinian residents have reportedly been injured in attacks tied to settler activity, with some families forced to flee their homes. One elderly man, 75-year-old Abdullah Daraghmeh, was reportedly hospitalized after being severely beaten during a nighttime raid, according to local accounts.

In response to the CNN report, the Israeli military acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, stating that the soldiers’ behavior described in the footage does not align with expected conduct. Officials say the incident is now under formal review, with top military leadership requesting immediate findings.

For journalists covering one of the world’s most volatile regions, the confrontation is a stark reminder of the risks on the ground — where even documenting events can quickly turn dangerous.