Tucker Carlson Alleges Israeli Airport Detention After Interview

Tucker Carlson, the conservative podcaster and former Fox News host, alleged on Wednesday that he and his staff were detained by Israeli airport security at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv following an interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The U.S. Embassy in Israel and the Israel Airports Authority have denied the claim, describing the encounter as routine passport control questioning applied to all visitors.

Carlson arrived at the airport on a private flight for a brief visit lasting only a few hours, during which he conducted the interview without leaving the airport premises. The trip stemmed from an online exchange between Carlson and Huckabee earlier in February, where the ambassador challenged Carlson to discuss his criticisms of Israel's treatment of Christians. Carlson, who has frequently questioned Israel's policies toward Christian communities and its military operations in Gaza, accepted the invitation and posted a photo of himself and business partner Neil Patel in front of the airport with the caption, "Greetings from Israel."

According to Carlson, shortly after the interview, airport security personnel confiscated passports from him...