Former Shin Bet Chief Sues Netanyahu for Defamation Over October 7 Attack Warnings

Ronen Bar, the former head of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of making false claims that Bar failed to warn him about the threat of a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Bar filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, seeking 3 million shekels (approximately $970,000) in compensation, according to a report by The Times of Israel.

The lawsuit details steps taken by Shin Bet to alert the Prime Minister’s Military Secretariat about the threat in the early hours of October 7. Bar argues that the secretariat was responsible for facilitating communication between the prime minister and Israel’s security agencies.

He also cited several warnings allegedly delivered to Netanyahu in the months leading up to the attack.

According to Bar, Hamas viewed Israel’s internal political divisions and the government’s judicial reform initiative as signs of weakness, increasing the risk of conflict. He alleges that Netanyahu disregarded warnings, recommendations and operational plans. Bar has said he will present documentary evidence to support his claims in court.

On September 28, Netanyahu alleged in a post on X that left-wing media outlets were campaigning against Bar to shift responsibility for the failures surrounding the October 7 attack onto the prime minister.

Netanyahu claimed that he had spoken with then-Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and military intelligence chief Aharon Haliva on the night before the attack, but Bar had failed to warn him.

Bar’s lawsuit disputes that account and sets out a timeline of Shin Bet’s communications with security officials in the hours before the assault.

According to the lawsuit, Shin Bet officials began providing the military with information about the situation in Gaza at 11 p.m. on October 6.

At 2 a.m., the agency placed its Tequila unit on standby to respond to a possible limited attack. At 3:03 a.m., warnings about potential offensive activity by Hamas were sent to relevant officials.

However, the lawsuit acknowledges that officials did not anticipate a full-scale attack at that stage.

Bar maintains that the prime minister’s Military Secretariat was informed about the developing situation early on October 7. He further alleges that, in the preceding months, he had repeatedly warned Netanyahu about Hamas’s growing threat and the security implications of Israel’s domestic divisions.

According to Bar, Netanyahu had instead emphasised avoiding an escalation in Gaza.

The allegations are part of an ongoing dispute over responsibility for the intelligence and security failures that preceded the October 7 assault.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage, according to Israeli figures.

The attack prompted a devastating Israeli military campaign in Gaza. According to the figures cited in the report, approximately 75,000 Palestinians have been killed, thousands remain missing, and much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble.

Netanyahu has yet to agree to the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 attack.

The dispute between Netanyahu and Bar adds to the continuing debate in Israel over who should bear responsibility for the intelligence and security failures that allowed the attack to occur.

The defamation case will give the court an opportunity to examine Bar’s allegations and the evidence he says supports his account. The claims made by both sides remain subject to legal scrutiny.