Reservists demand criminal probe of right-wing Channel 14 for revealing classified info

A lobbying group made up of IDF reservists called on Monday for a criminal investigation into the pro-government Channel 14 station, accusing it of repeatedly publishing classified material that violated censorship rules, compromising operations and endangering security forces.

The Iron Swords Fighters Forum, led by IDF Col. (res.) Hanoch Daube — who battled the Hamas invasion on October 7 and later fought in Gaza — claimed that for more than two years, Channel 14 has systematically published sensitive security information, on some occasions even before the missions had been carried out.

“This is not a matter of a series of individual mistakes, but a built-in system in which sensitive security information, sometimes top secret, is used as a tool for getting ratings and for public-political influence, while directly harming the national and security interests of Israel,” the group wrote in a letter.

The complaint was sent to State Attorney Amit Aisman; Superintendent Boaz Balat, the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division of the Israel Police; and Brig. Gen. Netanel Kula, the chief military censor.

It called for probing the network and its staff on suspicion of “distributing classified material without approval and obtaining or holding classified material without authority.”

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The letter noted that in some cases, the censor has already censured the TV network for serious violations of its instructions and causing harm to national security. The lobby group called for an immediate criminal investigation into Channel 14 and all the relevant staff.

The letter writers asserted that despite what appears to be “blatant and ongoing violations of the law,” no one involved has been summoned for investigation, and they claimed that even when the censor demanded a publication be withdrawn, Channel 14 used “evasive methods” and deliberate delays, and even republished information “on the grounds that it has become ‘public domain.'”

The letter claimed that the network had revealed intelligence gathering methods used during the fighting in Gaza; reported on an impending operation before Israel exploded thousand of rigged beepers carried by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon; reported on the possible assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in the days before it was carried out; and hinted at an operation in the days and hours leading up to Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025.

It also claimed that the network has a method of operation in which sensitive details are aired in a live broadcast, in some cases as a “slip of the tongue,” followed by the channel’s workers amplifying the material on social media.

The Iron Swords Fighters Forum said that if authorities don’t act within 45 days, it will consider taking further legal steps.

The letter highlighted Channel 14’s star anchor Shimon Riklin as having repeatedly disclosed confidential sensitive material, including on May 18, when he reported about an operational plan for Iran during the joint US-Israel war with the Islamic Republic.

Also, according to the letter, in May and June Riklin reported on the location of IDF forces in Lebanon, and the next day, Hezbollah bombed the area, killing four soldiers.

“The State of Israel cannot afford a situation in which ratings considerations and proximity to centers of power outweigh the safety of the fighters and the security of the state,” the forum said in a statement.

Channel 14 issued a response, accusing the rival and more popular Channel 12 of behind behind the group’s letter in an attempt to shut down the right-wing network, asserting that such tactics “won’t work.”

The contentious TV network has long been the subject of criticism. In April, a petition was filed with the High Court of Justice asking the court to order the police to investigate 18 prominent media personalities who appear on Channel 14 for various criminal offenses, including sedition and incitement to violence.

The petition noted that legislation passed in 2018 enables Channel 14 to skirt crucial regulations applied to commercial news channels that are designed to ensure fair and balanced coverage.

As a result of that legislation, Channel 14 is exempt from regulatory provisions requiring that a channel have more than a single owner, that its news division be a separate corporation from the channel itself, and that it adopt the ethics regulations of the Israeli Public Council for Press and Ethics.

In 2024, the IDF slammed the TV network for “inflammatory and defamatory content” for a clip mocking then-IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, and also criticized one of its leading pundits for promoting the “complete lie” that Halevi wanted Hamas to rule Gaza. Last year, IDF Chief Eyal Zamir said it was “malicious” slander to accuse the military advocate general of vetoing a strike on a building in Gaza where four troops were later killed.