New Delhi: Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said Monday he would sue Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation over claims that Bar failed to report critical warnings before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.
Bar is seeking the release of Netanyahu’s schedule of meetings with the defence establishment and foreign officials as well as testimonies from the prime minister’s staff, who he claimed assisted and continue to assist Netanyahu in a “manipulative campaign”.
“I will summon for testimony members of Netanyahu’s office and his aides, who have assisted and continue to assist him in this manipulative campaign,” Bar said in a public statement on 28 September announcing his intent to file the lawsuit.
The feud comes ahead of the 27 October elections.
Shin Bet is Israel’s internal security and counterintelligence service, also known in Hebrew by the acronym Shabak or as the Israel Security Agency.
Netanyahu blamed the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leadership for security failures during a press conference in Jerusalem on 1 September, followed by a statement released to the press and international media.
He said that on the eve of the attack, Bar, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, and Military Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva discussed warning signs, but Bar chose not to update the prime minister, alert local security squads, or evacuate the Nova festival.
Bar’s suit follows a Haaretz report on 8 September claiming Netanyahu ignored foreign intelligence warnings from UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. His office denied the report.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu didn’t speak to the president of the UAE during the period in question and received no warning from him,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in the 9 September statement issued in response to the Haaretz report.
Amid growing pressure, Netanyahu rejected the report in a post on X on Monday, calling it part of a “vile and false campaign” run by the “left-wing media”, and pointed the finger directly at the former Shin Bet chief.
“The truth is that on the night of October 7, the head of the Shin Bet held series of discussions and consultations regarding warning signs that arose, and decided not to call and update the prime minister,” he added.
Key events leading to the lawsuit
In July 2023, during judicial overhaul protests, Bar warned Netanyahu, “I am delivering a warning of war.” He said domestic fractures were increasing the risk of conflict.
Between November 2024 and February 2025, the Shin Bet probed political advisers over leaks and foreign contacts, fuelling tensions over the agency’s autonomy.
Netanyahu attempted to dismiss Bar in March 2025. The High Court froze the move on 21 May 2025, calling it “improper” and “unlawful”. Bar stepped down on 15 June 2025, prompting the government to rescind its order.
In February 2026, The New York Times reported that Netanyahu had submitted 55 pages of edited transcripts to a State Comptroller probe to shift blame for the 7 October security failure onto security chiefs in the IDF and Shin Bet.
Tensions between Netanyahu and Bar escalated on 28 September 2026, following the Haaretz report. Netanyahu accused Bar on X of “failures and crimes” and withholding intelligence, prompting Bar’s defamation suit.
Following Bar’s statement, the ‘change bloc’, or Gush HaShinui, an informal coalition of diverse Israeli political parties united primarily by their opposition to Netanyahu, released a joint statement in The Times of Israel.
“Netanyahu’s conduct, as described by Bar, puts our future and existence in danger and harms the security of the state,” it said.
The bloc comprises five opposition leaders: Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party, Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party, Naftali Bennett of B’Yachad, Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu, and Yair Golan of The Democrats.
“The move is clearly meant to sabotage a serious criminal investigation of the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Yair Lapid.
“There has never been a political disaster like this in our entire history. Israel was not even close to the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security.”
Opposition leaders link the lawsuit to the attempt to fire Bar, arguing Netanyahu’s attacks undermine democratic institutions.
Netanyahu rejected the accusations, framing the opposition as an unstable coalition and asserting that “only a strong Likud will stop them”.
Ashwin Shekhar is a TPSJ alum, currently interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also read: 3 reports highlight multiple warnings Netanyahu received and ignored before 7 Oct 2023 Hamas attack