Reporter acknowledges role in early coverage of missing U.S. airman while pledging to shield sources amid national security dispute.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The journalist who first reported details about a missing U.S. airman in Iran has publicly identified himself following warnings from Donald Trump that those responsible for leaking sensitive information could face imprisonment.
An Israeli reporter acknowledged publishing early details about the incident, according to a report by the New York Post. The disclosure came after Trump sharply criticized the unauthorized release of information during a high-risk military operation involving a downed U.S. fighter jet crew in Iran.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “As you probably know, we didn’t talk about the first one for an hour, and then somebody leaked something, which we’ll hopefully find that leaker; we’re looking very hard to find that leaker, and talked about there’s somebody missing.”
“They basically said that we have one, and there’s somebody missing. Well, they didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information!” he continued.
Trump warned of potential legal action against those involved in publishing the information, stating, “So whoever it is, we think we’ll be able to find it out, because we’re going to go to the media company that released it. And we’re going to say, national security, give it up or go to jail.”
He added that the disclosure compromised operational security, saying, “There’s some things you can’t do. When they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life!”
The president further stated, “Because a leaker leaked – because we have one – we rescued one, but there’s another one out there that we’re trying to get, actually, the country, Iran, put out.. offering a very big award for anybody that captures the pilot.”
“They put this mission, that man at great risk, and hundreds of people looking for him!” he added. “The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say!”
Multiple media outlets reported on the incident, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Axios and Fox News, as details about the downed aircraft and missing crew member emerged.
Israeli journalist Amit Segal, a political commentator with Channel 12, later stated on his Telegram channel that his platform had been the first to publish information regarding the missing crew member. In his post, Segal wrote, “Trump: We didn’t talk about the first one we rescued, and then someone leaked something about the navigator. We’re going to find whoever leaked it. Whoever it is – we’ll manage to track them down through the network that published it, we’ll ask for the leaker. We’ll say it’s national security, and therefore it could end up in prison.”
He added, “As you may recall, this was first published here.”
However, when later questioned, Segal said he was uncertain whether he had been the initial source of the report, while maintaining that he would not reveal his sources.
According to Yahoo News, reporting by Caitlin Doornbos outlined the timeline of events, noting that Segal had posted on social media that “Western source: One of the American crew members was successfully rescued,” indicating that another remained unaccounted for.
In comments to the reporter, Segal said, “I’m not sure I was the first,” before adding, “And anyway — I will protect my sources.”
The rescue operation ultimately resulted in the recovery of both airmen, with one retrieved quickly and the second evading capture for several days before extraction. The episode has prompted renewed debate over the balance between press reporting and operational security during active military missions.