THE BBC has issued a statement after a correspondent and staff members were 'held at gunpoint, blindfolded and strip searched' by the IDF.
On Thursday, the BBC revealed that their Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani and two staff members, alongside four freelance journalists, were held for seven hours while filming in southern Syria in early May.
The broadcaster said Kilani, who is a Palestinian-British citizen, and the rest of his team had described being "tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened" by Israeli soldiers.
The journalists also had their electronics confiscated and "material was deleted".
Kilani has covered the Syrian region for the BBC since 2011.
The broadcaster said it had registered a complaint with the IDF but had not received a response.
The statement reads: "On Friday 9 May whilst filming in Southern Syria, BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, along with two other BBC staff members and four freelance colleagues, were detained for seven hours and held at gunpoint by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
"The team have described how they were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened.
"Their electronic devices were also taken from them and material was deleted."
"The BBC strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable.
"We have registered a complaint with the Israeli military but are yet to receive a response."
The IDF has been contacted for comment.
