Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the intelligence failures surrounding the October 7 massacre should not automatically lead to his dismissal in an interview with Army Radio on Wednesday, arguing that "nobody told former US president George W. Bush to go home after 9/11."
He compared Israel's intelligence failures to those preceding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, arguing that those disasters had not automatically led to the removal of the countries' political leaders.
Netanyahu defended his proposal to establish a national inquiry committee with equal representation for coalition and opposition members.
He argued that a government-appointed commission would lack public trust among opposition supporters, while a state commission appointed through the existing judicial framework would be rejected by many of his own supporters. He also suggested modeling the investigation on the bipartisan US commission established after September 11.
Additionally, the prime minister doubled down on the position that had he been awakened and informed of the reported unusual Hamas activity on the night before October 7, he would have ordered military preparations and canceled the Nova music festival.
The prime minister insisted that Israel's security establishment had repeatedly assessed that Hamas was deterred and had not expected an imminent major attack from Gaza.
"The answer is no," he said when asked whether he had recognized the warning signs before the attack.
He also warned Iran that any attempt to attack Israel would trigger an unprecedented response.
"If Iran makes that mistake, [unclear word], and tries to attack us, it will encounter a response it cannot even imagine," Netanyahu said, responding to questions about possible Iranian military action ahead of Israel's October 27 election and the US midterm elections.
"We are prepared for all those scenarios. I hope we won’t have to resort to them, but I can say one thing: Israel will not allow - I will not allow - Iran to have nuclear weapons. As long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons."
He also defended his government's handling of the October 7 intelligence failures and urged supporters to vote in the upcoming election in an interview with Army Radio on Wednesday.
The prime minister said he hoped the election would proceed as scheduled but warned that Israel's enemies could attempt attacks or rocket fire to create an impression of Israeli vulnerability.
This is a developing story.