Conservative heavyweight Tucker Carlson says his latest overseas trip ended not with a handshake — but with a passport seizure.

The former Fox News star flew into Tel Aviv this week for a high-stakes interview with President Trump’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, after the two sparred publicly over Israel’s treatment of Christians and the ongoing war in Gaza.

Huckabee had challenged Carlson online: “Instead of talking about me, why don’t you come talk to me?” Carlson accepted.

What happened next, Carlson says, was something straight out of a political thriller.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Carlson described being confronted by security at Ben Gurion Airport shortly after taping the interview.

“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said.

“It was bizarre. We’re now out of the country.”

Prior to the clash, Carlson had posted a photo on X with business partner Neil Patel in front of the airport, cheerfully captioned: “Greetings from Israel.”

But critics quickly mocked him for allegedly never leaving the airport. Among them was former U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, who sneered online: “Too bad Tucker stayed in the airport in the face of so many invitations to see so many wonderful places. A huge and obviously intentional missed opportunity.”

Behind the scenes, however, sources told the Daily Mail that Carlson’s entry into Israel was far from routine. Two individuals familiar with the matter claimed Israeli officials initially resisted allowing him into the country at all, sparking what they described as delicate discussions involving the State Department. Israeli outlet Channel 13 reported the government ultimately relented to avoid triggering a diplomatic headache.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel flatly rejected Carlson’s characterization. A spokesman insisted he “received the same passport control questions that countless visitors to Israel, including Ambassador Huckabee and other diplomats, receive as part of normal entrance and exit from Israel.”

The embassy further denied that Israel had planned to restrict Carlson’s movements, saying, “It is not accurate that Israel only was going to let Tucker into the country for the interview.” According to the spokesperson, the embassy’s only role was coordinating the landing of Carlson’s private plane — and “Tucker received the same positive treatment of any visitors to Israel.”

The White House and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have yet to weigh in.

The episode comes at a sensitive political moment. Carlson, a longtime Trump ally who has met recently with the president at the White House and maintains close ties to Vice President JD Vance, has been outspoken about Christian protections in Israel. On his YouTube show last week, he accused Huckabee of failing to ensure adequate safeguards for Christians in the Holy Land.

Huckabee — who has known Carlson for more than 30 years and once worked alongside him at Fox News — answered by inviting him to hash it out face-to-face.

Meanwhile, Israel’s standing among young Republican voters and segments of Trump’s base has softened, creating an uncomfortable debate within conservative ranks. According to the Jerusalem Post, former Fox News anchor Melissa Francis said President Trump is urging calm behind the scenes.

“Everybody’s looking for a way to turn down the temperature,” Francis said. “President Trump is telling everyone, including Tucker, ‘Let’s take this down.’”