US President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with the media, threatening to jail a journalist who reported on a second US airman missing after being shot down by Iran's air defenses. The announcement came during a White House press conference on Monday, following the alleged rescue of the injured airman.
The airman had hidden in a mountain crevice to avoid capture, enduring heavy injuries and dangerous conditions, according to the Trump administration. A US recovery team risked fire from Iranian forces to extract him. Trump said on Sunday that the service member had been safely rescued.
At the press conference, Trump expressed frustration over the leak that revealed the airman’s situation. “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 said. “So whoever it was, 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.’”
Trump did not name the journalist or the outlet at the time. However, reports indicate the story was first published by Israeli journalist Amit Segal. Segal confirmed on his Telegram channel that he was the first to report details about the second downed airman.
“As you may recall, this was first published here", Segal posted on his Telegram channel.
Who is Amit Segal?
Segal is a well-known Israeli journalist and media personality. He serves as a political commentator for Channel 12 News and as a columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth. He has a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sharing much of the political right‑wing ideology. Segal is known to be Netanyahu's mouthpiece.
Segal’s career includes both political commentary and analysis of Israeli security policy. He has reported extensively on Iran and Israel’s military strategy, supporting continued attacks on Palestinians while expressing skepticism toward humanitarian narratives about Gaza.
In interviews, he has questioned reports of civilian suffering in Gaza, suggesting some warnings are exaggerated or influenced by what he calls "Hamas propaganda." In a long interview published in The New Yorker, Segal denied that there is starvation in Gaza, claiming that international media/humanitarian warnings are propaganda and that it’s misleading to describe what’s happening there as “genocide”
In addition, Segal has emphasized continuity in Israeli military strategy, indicating that pauses in fighting would not halt the broader campaign.
Segal has also commented on US-Israel diplomacy, downplaying US officials. Regarding Trump’s ceasefire agreement in Gaza, he described the plan as “not an American proposal but an Israeli one, beautifully wrapped in cellophane and labeled Made in USA.” He asserted that Israel largely achieved its objectives in US negotiations, including key policy outcomes sought by Netanyahu.
Segal also bragged that Israel is largely getting what it wanted from the US. “Israel gets nine out of ten of what it wanted and Netanyahu, speaking of the pardon, gets 11 out of ten," he said.
Segal’s alignment with Netanyahu has drawn criticism. Observers note that he operates as a close confidant and ideological supporter. Notably, Segal declined a spot on the Likud party slate in 2022 reserved for him by Netanyahu and a proposed ministerial position.
So far, Trump has not publicly named Amit Segal or taken any concrete action, which suggests he may not know who the source of the leak is. But a more difficult question remains: if it becomes clear to him that an Israeli journalist closely aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu was behind the report, will Trump follow through on his threat? Social media users are now raising this question, casting doubt on whether his warning will translate into real accountability.
