Türkiye is taking all necessary measures for the immediate release of a CNN Turk reporter and cameraman who were detained in Israel, Ankara has said.

The government is taking needed steps for “the prompt release of our journalists and are closely monitoring the situation,” Head of Türkiye’s Communications Burhanettin Duran said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal on Tuesday.

“We are once again confronted with one of Israel’s attacks targeting members of the press in an attempt to conceal the truth,” he added.

AK Party spokesperson Omer Celik also described the detention of reporter Emrah Cakmak and cameraman Halil Kahraman by Israeli forces as “an attack on press freedom”.

Celik said the decision to detain the journalists was “unacceptable” and called for their immediate release. “We are closely following the matter,” he added.

‘Irregular intervention’

According to CNN Turk, Emrah Cakmak and Halil Kahraman were detained by Israeli security forces while broadcasting live from Tel Aviv following Iranian missile strikes on the city.

The network reported that the crew had been covering the aftermath of the attack, including scenes of civilians emerging from shelters, when security personnel approached them and halted the live transmission.

Footage from the broadcast showed officers intervening moments before the signal was cut.

CNN Turk described the move as an “irregular intervention”, saying the journalists were taken into custody and their mobile phones were confiscated.

Kahraman was given brief access to a phone, stating that both journalists were in good health but remained in detention and without their equipment.