Israel’s former security chief sues Netanyahu for October 7 defamation

Key points

• Ronen Bar, former head of Israel's Shin Bet, sued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation over claims about the October 7, 2023 attack.
• Bar seeks three million shekels (about $968,500) in damages and says Netanyahu's accusations were false and aimed at deflecting blame.
• The lawsuit comes just before Israel's October 27 election, amid other allegations that Netanyahu's office falsified October 7 records.

Ronen Bar, the former director of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet, has sued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation over claims about the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. The case was filed on Wednesday, shortly before Israel's October 27 election.

In a 134-page court document, Bar accused Netanyahu of "lying to cover himself" and said it was slanderous to blame him for "criminal failures" over the attack. Bar said he called the prime minister's military secretary when signs of a possible attack emerged, but did not have Netanyahu's direct number.

Netanyahu's response

Netanyahu has said Bar did not alert him on the morning of the assault, and that he could have stopped the attack if the Shin Bet chief or military leaders had called to wake him. In a statement issued by his Likud party on Wednesday, Netanyahu said, "Ronen, are you serious?"

Netanyahu added that Bar had his number on the red line and could have called immediately, as all security chiefs do. He asked how many lives could have been saved if Bar had called in time.

Ronen, are you serious?

— Benjamin Netanyahu

Context and other allegations

Bar resigned as head of Shin Bet in June 2025 amid recriminations over the deadliest attack in Israel's history, while insisting he had informed Netanyahu of the threat in advance. He is seeking three million shekels (about $968,500) in damages.

The lawsuit follows claims by Netanyahu's former military secretary, Avi Gil, who told Israel's Channel 12 that the prime minister's office had "falsified records related to October 7, 2023", including altering the recorded time of a key phone call. Gil said a stenographer was instructed to change the time of a four-minute call from 6:40am local time to 6:29am.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, had warned Netanyahu of the attack. Polls show Netanyahu is in a tight race to stay in power in the October 27 election.