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Israeli Battalion Suspended Over Attacks on CNN Crew Returns to Duty

After a month-long pause and ethics training, an ultra-Orthodox unit resumes operations—but questions linger over accountability and journalist safety.

A Rare Suspension and Its Aftermath

An Israeli battalion that briefly took a CNN crew into custody has been reinstated following a month-long operational pause. The unit, part of the ultra-Orthodox "Netzah Yehuda" group, completed an ethics training program and is expected to resume normal duties soon.

The suspension marked an unprecedented move by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which deemed the incident a "serious ethical failure" after soldiers seized the CNN team while filming settler violence in the West Bank.

The March 30 Incident: A Journalist in a Chokehold

On March 30, soldiers detained a CNN crew documenting violent clashes involving Israeli settlers. In footage later reviewed by military officials, a soldier was seen placing photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, causing him to fall and shattering his camera.

Within 48 hours, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi suspended the entire battalion—a decision military analysts called rare, given the usual reluctance to discipline elite units.

While the military police launched an investigation, the soldier involved in Theophilos’ assault has not faced additional punishment as of yet.

Another Journalist Injured: Abeer Salman’s Broken Wrist

Weeks earlier, on March 17, a separate altercation left Abeer Salman, a CNN senior producer, with a fractured wrist.

Salman was among journalists covering Ramadan prayers outside Jerusalem’s Old City when police moved the crowd, deploying stun grenades and detaining two reporters. According to Salman, a plain-clothes officer twisted her wrist, causing the injury.

Police claimed the journalists "did not follow instructions" and that their cameras were "provocative"—a justification the Union of Journalists in Israel dismissed as baseless. Authorities have yet to clarify what instructions were allegedly ignored or why filming would be deemed provocative.

As of now, no timeline has been provided for the conclusion of the police investigation.

A Pattern of Tension: When Reporting Becomes a Risk

These incidents underscore the growing friction between Israeli security forces and journalists covering high-stakes events. While the IDF’s swift suspension of the battalion was an unusual step, the lack of concrete disciplinary action against individual soldiers raises concerns about accountability.

Equally troubling are the vague responses from police, leaving critical questions unanswered:

• Why were journalists detained without clear cause?
• What constitutes "provocative" behavior in a conflict zone?
• When will investigations into these assaults conclude?

For reporters operating in volatile regions, the message remains uncertain: Is filming the news a right—or a liability?