Ex-Israeli spy chief sues Netanyahu over October 7

Former Israeli spy chief Ronen Bar sues Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation over claims of responsibility in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.

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Ronen Bar, the former director of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet, has sued Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for defamation over claims of his responsibility in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack. According to a 134-page court document filed by Bar, Netanyahu made accusations that he knew to be false, with the aim of diverting the debate from his own responsibility for the events of October 7.

Bar accused Netanyahu of lying to cover himself and said it was slanderous of the prime minister to have accused him of 'criminal failures' over the attack. Bar claimed that he telephoned the prime minister's military secretary as soon as signs of a possible attack became apparent, but that he did not have Netanyahu's direct number.

Netanyahu has responded to Bar's accusations in a statement issued by his Likud party, saying, 'Ronen, are you serious?' He added, 'You had my number on the red line and could have called me immediately, as all security chiefs do.' Netanyahu also questioned how many lives could have been saved if only Bar had called in time.

The allegations in Bar's lawsuit come days after Netanyahu's former military secretary, Avi Gil, 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 in the prime minister's office approached him in January 2024 with instructions from Netanyahu's chief of staff to change the time of a four-minute call from 6:40am local time to 6:29am.

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 from Netanyahu.