Netanyahu Sues Haaretz Newspaper Over Hamas Attack Warning Report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties. The legal action follows publications alleging that the President of the United Arab Emirates had warned Netanyahu about a Hamas attack prior to October 7th. In a sharp statement released by the Prime Minister's office, titled "Lies Made in Haaretz," the report was described as a "false fabrication against the Prime Minister that never happened."

According to the Prime Minister's office, a comprehensive investigation has completely refuted the report. The office stated that contrary to the claims, no conversation took place between the Prime Minister and the UAE President from the beginning of September until October 7th. The Prime Minister's office, the National Security Council, and the Military Secretariat meticulously checked call logs and found no record of such a conversation. The office explained that such policy-level discussions are conducted only through a representative who physically visits the office with an encrypted device, and security entry logs showed no such visitor during the period in question.

Sources close to Netanyahu vehemently attacked the motives behind the publication, asserting, "All this proves that this is a malicious fabrication with clear political timing, as part of the left's election campaign, and there will be more such false fabrications." They also emphasized that claims of an early warning from Egypt were also debunked at the start of the war.

The lawsuit comes amid a heated public debate regarding the handling of intelligence information in the hours leading up to the October 7th attack. Netanyahu has directly accused security officials, stating, "This fabrication is intended to distract from what the public already understands: Ronen Bar and Herzi Halevi saw all the signs many hours before the attack began. If instead of fearing miscalculation, they had instructed the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the emergency response teams to preempt the blow, and if Prime Minister Netanyahu had been updated in time, the terrible massacre could have been prevented."