Former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar filed a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Central District Court on Wednesday morning.
The lawsuit alleges that in the months leading up to October 7, Netanyahu received repeated warnings about the possibility of an escalation on multiple fronts, with particular emphasis on the Gaza Strip and the Jewish High Holidays. According to the lawsuit, Bar also presented proposals to target senior Hamas officials, but the prime minister rejected both the warnings and the proposed plans.
The lawsuit emphasizes that Bar is not seeking to evade responsibility, but rather is challenging what it describes as defamatory statements by Netanyahu aimed at shifting his own responsibility onto Bar.
"As the head of the service, I bear responsibility for the Shin Bet's failure to provide the intelligence required regarding the October 7 attack and its timing," Bar said in a statement issued on his behalf.
"Accordingly, I resigned from my position, bowing my head before the bereaved families. We fought, eliminated senior Hamas officials in Gaza and Lebanon, and brought hostages home through daring Shin Bet operations and determined negotiations."
This is a developing story.