Threat to Turkish TV crew in Tel Aviv sparks uproar

Tensions escalated on Saturday after a member of the public in Tel Aviv confronted a television crew from Turkish network A Haber and allegedly threatened them while they were filming near Ben Gurion airport.

The incident, which was captured on video, occurred as the crew was reporting on the crash of an Iranian missile in the area.

According to A Haber programme director Emine Kavasoglou, the confrontation began when the team informed the individual that they were from Turkey.

She reported that the individual retorted that “from now on you are our enemy, you know that?”.

A Turkish correspondent at the scene said the man then approached her directly and issued a further warning.

 “You realise that you are our next target, don’t you?” he said, according to the footage circulated by the broadcaster.

The incident quickly sparked outrage in Turkey and fuelled political tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv, which have deteriorated in recent months amid disputes over regional security, the war in Gaza and the joint US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Turkish media described the exchange as an example of growing hostility towards Turkish nationals in Israel.

The episode comes against the backdrop of increasingly bellicose rhetoric between the two countries.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett recently argued that Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan represents a growing strategic threat to Israel, warning that Ankara is positioning itself as a regional adversary comparable to Iran.