Former Shin Bet chief says he will sue Netanyahu over 7th October accusations

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said on Monday that he plans to file a defamation lawsuit against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, escalating a public dispute over responsibility for the security failures surrounding the Hamas-led 7th October 2023 attack.

Bar’s announcement followed accusations by Netanyahu that the former head of Israel’s domestic security agency had been aware of warning signs on the night before the attack but failed to inform the prime minister or take sufficient action. Bar rejected the allegations and accused Netanyahu of conducting a campaign aimed at shifting responsibility onto security officials.

Bar said his lawyers would seek disclosure of documents concerning information provided to Netanyahu before the attack, including the prime minister’s schedule of meetings with Israeli security officials and foreign representatives. He also said he intended to seek testimony from members of Netanyahu’s staff.

The former Shin Bet chief accused Netanyahu of selectively releasing documents without their full context and said he had initially intended to wait for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry before publicly presenting evidence concerning warnings given before 7th October.

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Bar said he had warned Netanyahu of an “impending disaster” and had recommended measures aimed at restoring deterrence and strengthening defences along the Gaza border. He accused Netanyahu of ignoring those warnings. Netanyahu disputes Bar’s account and maintains that senior security officials failed to provide him with critical information ahead of the attack.

The dispute has intensified amid separate reports that officials from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates had warned Netanyahu about the risk of a major escalation involving Hamas before 7th October. Netanyahu has denied receiving such warnings, including reports that then-Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel personally warned him shortly before the attack.

Netanyahu has alleged that Bar, then-IDF chief Herzi Halevi and then-Military Intelligence chief Aharon Haliva discussed warning signs during the night before the attack but did not alert him. Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, citing an official investigation, subsequently reported that Bar and Halevi had not been in contact during the hours immediately preceding the attack, contradicting part of Netanyahu’s account.

Bar, who headed the Shin Bet from 2021 to 2025, said the planned lawsuit would target those responsible for what he described as falsified or distorted documents and defamatory information about him.

“Victory is achieved by launching a pre-emptive strike against the enemy abroad, not against security forces at home,” Bar said.

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