Ex- “Israeli” Spy Chief Sues Netanyahu over October 7

By Staff, Agencies

Former “Israeli” intelligence chief Ronen Bar has sued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation, accusing him of ignoring warnings ahead of the October 7, 2023 and attempting to shift the blame for the security failures.

Bar, who headed “Israel’s” “Shin Bet” security agency during Al-Aqsa Flood operation, filed the three-million-“shekel” [nearly $1 million] lawsuit on Wednesday.

Netanyahu had accused Bar of withholding intelligence and failing to alert troops or evacuate attendees of the music festival. Bar rejected the allegations, arguing that Netanyahu was attempting to deflect responsibility for Hamas operation.

According to the lawsuit, “Shin Bet” officers began sharing intelligence about unusual Hamas activity with the military late on October 6 and issued a warning at 3:03 am. Netanyahu’s military secretariat was updated at 3:55 am, while Bar’s chief of staff briefed his military secretary shortly after 6 am. Bar denied speaking directly with “Israel’s” military chief or head of military intelligence that night, contrary to Netanyahu’s account.

Bar acknowledged that “Shin Bet” had failed to anticipate the scale and timing of the assault and provide adequate warnings. He accepted responsibility for those failures, which contributed to his resignation.

However, he maintained that Netanyahu had been repeatedly alerted to the risk. Bar cited a February 2023 letter warning that “Israel’s” internal divisions and instability in the Palestinian territories could embolden its adversaries. In July, he said he had personally raised the prospect of an attack, cautioning that intelligence agencies might not be able to predict it.

The filing describes further warnings in September and early October about Hamas’s growing capabilities. Bar also mentioned that Netanyahu repeatedly rejected or delayed proposals to target senior Hamas figures, favoring a policy of “quiet at any cost” in Gaza.

Netanyahu rejected the claims, saying Bar could have contacted him through a secure emergency line. Bar said Netanyahu never provided him with his personal phone number.

Netanyahu also said he had submitted nearly 1,000 documents challenging Bar’s account.

His government voted to dismiss Bar in March 2025, citing a loss of confidence. At the time, “Shin Bet” was investigating allegations that Netanyahu’s aides had promoted Qatari interests, which the office denied.