Iara Modarelli
21st Century Wire
Israeli authorities have arrested American journalist Jeremy Loffredo, intensifying their assault on press freedom and extending their war on journalism by targeting independent American reporters working in Israel.
Loffredo, 28, is an investigative journalist known for his work with The Grayzone, and was arrested shortly after publishing his recent report on the Iranian missile retaliation which reportedly struck several Israeli military and intelligence sites, including one missile landing next to the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, as well as multiple impacts in and around Israel’s most important air operations sites located at Nevatim Air Base.
According to colleagues, Loffredo was with a group of four other journalists when they were blindfolded, beaten, and detained by the Israel security forces, allegedly for exposing the Israeli regime’s military activities, according to Russian-Jewish reporter Andrey X.
Jeremy is currently the only journalist still being detained from the group, and his arrest is sparking widespread concerns of a potential diplomatic catastrophe between the U.S. and Israel after representatives from the U.S. Embassy attended court hearings in Jerusalem regarding his continued detention. Loffredo’s lawyer, Leah Tsemel, has argued that Loffredo had acted transparently and publicly and challenged the claim put against the journalist. claims that he was aiding the enemy.
VIDEO: Jeremy Loffredo’s most recent video report from Israel:
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Overall, his on-the-ground reporting shed light on the comprehensive damage caused by Iran’s Operation True Promise II, a retaliatory strike following a series of high-profile assassinations carried out by Israel which targeted key leaders in Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRGC. The Grayzone journalist was arrested on charges of endangering national security with allegations that he was “aiding the enemy during wartime” by disclosing sensitive information.
Loffredo also explains how airstrikes on Gaza were launched from the Nevatim base, information which had largely been omitted from western mainstream coverage of the event. He also reported how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private jet may also have been located at the base.
Today I was beaten, kidnapped, blindfolded and taken to a military base by the Israeli Occupation Forces, together with 4 other journalists.
Two of us were held for 11 hours without charges, my phone was confiscated (stolen), and one of us is still in custody.
Full story soon.
— Andrey X (@the_andrey_x) October 8, 2024
A campaign on X has gone viral under the hashtag #FreeJeremyLoffredo, with thousands of people seeking to bring attention to Jeremy’s arrest and intensify pressure on the U.S. State Department, as the Israeli charges against Loffredo intensify, where he faces the potential of life behind bars, or even the death penalty – all for the crime of doing journalism.
BREAKING: American Journalist Could Face Death Penalty for Reporting in Israel
American reporter Jeremy Loffredo could face life in prison or even the death penalty for the ''crime'' of journalism. Prosecutors argue his reporting was "aiding the enemy in war time". pic.twitter.com/FHzkNtpwo8
— ACTIVE MEASURES (@ActiveMeasures8) October 10, 2024
Interestingly, Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal revealed on X how US mainstream media outlet PBS had already reported from one of the same ‘sensitive’ locations as Loffredo – with no repercussions whatsoever from Israeli authorities.
Here is US govt funded PBS news reporting on an Iranian missile hit at the exact location @loffredojeremy did, at Mossad HQ, before he did, and with no repercussions
Make no mistake, Israel’s jailing of Jeremy is a political persecution of a US journalist pic.twitter.com/ExLqP2NEvh
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) October 11, 2024
UPDATE: Blumenthal broadcast this morning that the Israel authorities have now released Jeremy Loffredo from custody, but he is forbidden from leaving the country, for the time being.
I have learned that the district court in Israel has ordered US journalist Jeremy Loffredo to be released from custody but has forbidden him from leaving the country for a period of time
Will update as soon as we know more about these terms#FreeJeremyLoffredo pic.twitter.com/2GqskzlDW4
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) October 11, 2024
Israel’s crackdown on the free press and journalism has escalated dramatically over the past 12 months, with the killing of over 180 journalists, many of them Palestinian, including a number of targeted murders in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon since hostilities increased October 2023. This unprecedented death toll marks the highest number of journalists killed over a 12 month period of any war zone in history.
Currently, dozens of other reporters remain imprisoned without official charges as Israel intensifies its efforts to suppress any media coverage which exposes a mounting list of warcrimes carried out in the occupied territories.
To date, there has been no official statement by the U.S. government regarding the status of Jeremy Loffredo.
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