“They Put This Mission At Great Risk”: Israeli Reporter Amit Segal Says He’ll Protect His Sources Despite Trump’s Jail Threat

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to jail a journalist at an unnamed media outlet unless the reporter reveals the source behind early reporting on the rescue of a downed American airman in Iran, touching off a wave of speculation that the target of his remarks may be Israeli Channel 12 correspondent Amit Segal.

“We have to find that leaker, because that’s a sick person,” Trump told reporters. “It’s national security. And the person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say. And that doesn’t last long. And I think everybody would understand that. They put this mission at great risk.”

Segal posted to X at 11:19 a.m. Friday, citing a Western source: “One of the American crew members was successfully rescued.” Axios correspondent Barak Ravid confirmed the news shortly after, with CBS, the Washington Post, and other U.S.-based outlets quickly following.

Segal, a prominent political reporter and a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, addressed the speculation directly when reached by the New York Post’s Caitlin Doornbos. “I’m not sure I was the first,” he said of the report. He then added flatly: “I will protect my sources.”

Legal observers and journalists noted that Trump’s threat appeared aimed at an American journalist, given the limited jurisdiction the U.S. would have to prosecute or pressure a foreign-based reporter.

Trump made clear he views the disclosure as a serious breach. “Probably didn’t realize the extent of how bad it was — I can’t imagine that the person did,” he said. “But we’re going to find out.”