Foreign journalist arrested in Israel for espionage suspicion links to Iran-funded media outlet
Israel placed under house arrest a US journalist with ties to an Iranian-funded website over a video he posted detailing where Iranian missiles landed in Israel.
Missiles seen over Jerusalem during an Iranian barrage on Oct. 1, 2024. Photo by TPS-IL
The reporter, Jeremy Loffredo, describes himself on social media as a New York-based independent investigative journalist. He was arrested near the Palestinian village of Burin with four members of “Looking the Occupation in the Eye,” an anarchist group opposed to Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria. It is believed they were trying to bypass an army checkpoint to enter Area A of Samaria.
Soldiers initially perceived Loffredo’s behaviour as a typical case of foreign anarchist interference, but the matter escalated when authorities discovered his reports on “The Grayzone,” a left-wing website funded by Iran. The site has been accused of spreading disinformation and producing pro-Iranian propaganda.
In one particular video, Loffredo went into great detail about how close Iranian missiles came to hitting the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev and the Glilot army base north of Tel Aviv.
The video not only revealed strategic areas narrowly missed by the missiles but highlighted where Israeli was jamming GPS signals to disrupt the missiles. Loffredo even admitted in the video he was aware that what he was publishing violated Israeli censor restrictions.
The Israeli Military Censor restricts journalists from specifying exactly where missiles fired into the country land to prevent enemies from improving their targeting. Since October 7, 2023, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Houthis and Iraqi militias have launched around 3,000 missiles, rockets and drones at Israel.
“There is suspicion of serious offenses and these are serious charges, involving espionage and aiding the enemy. No foreign national has the right to come to a country and act in a way that endangers it,” legal expert Yotam Eyal of The Legal Forum for Israel told The Press Service of Israel.
“This individual was not merely interfering with military activities,” Eyal told TPS-IL. “It turns out he was actively documenting the Iranian missile strikes, revealing how close those missiles landed to strategic targets in Israel. This is a very dangerous phenomenon, especially during a time of war when we are under brutal attacks.”
He added, “Israel has every legal right to determine who enters its territory. When someone uses their access to actively harm the country by supplying intelligence that could benefit the enemy, the state must take decisive action,” Eyal told TPS-IL.
In June, the Washington Post revealed financial links between The Grayzone and Iran. According to the Post, Press TV, an Iranian state-owned English-language news network, paid thousands of dollars to Wyatt Reed, who is currently The Grayzone’s managing editor.
The Post also reported that The Grayzone’s founder and editor-in-chief, Max Blumenthal, frequently appears on Russian television and accepted a trip to Moscow to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Russia’s state-run RT network.
Investigative journalist Elchanan Gruner, who has extensively researched the activities of foreign anarchists for Hakol Hayehudi, told TPS-IL, “The most important thing to understand is the severe security threat posed by anarchists and various foreign activists who come here under the guise of humanitarian beliefs, but in reality, pose a danger.”
Gruner added that there is an “alarming” rise in anarchist support for Hezbollah.
According to Hakol Hayehudi, several foreign activists were recorded at a pro-Hezbollah rally in Ramallah in September. Among them were two German nationals who were later arrested by Israel and deported.
Loffredo has also previously produced content for RT.
