Netanyahu to Sue Haaretz Over Report on UAE Warning

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that his lawyers will file a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper "Haaretz" and several of its journalists. The suit stems from a report published by the newspaper alleging Netanyahu received a warning from the UAE president before the October 7th attacks. Netanyahu stated the report contains "false slander" against him, asserting there was no phone call between him and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed from September to October 7th. He added that the Prime Minister's Office, National Security Council, and military secretariat meticulously reviewed his call logs for that period and found no record of such a call. Netanyahu also noted that communications with the UAE leadership are conducted discreetly and that records of UAE representatives' entry to the Prime Minister's Office, along with call logs, were examined without finding evidence of the alleged call. Netanyahu's representatives sent a warning letter to "Haaretz" demanding 2.5 million shekels in compensation. "Haaretz" responded by standing by its reporting. The original investigation claimed Netanyahu received an explicit warning days before October 7th from the UAE president about a major move planned by Yahya Sinwar against Israel, and that Netanyahu failed to relay this warning to security chiefs. Netanyahu accused the newspaper and other parties of waging a political campaign against him, calling the report part of an election campaign by the left, and predicted that such "false slander" would continue.