Sara Netanyahu Threatens $270,000 Defamation Lawsuit Over Prime Minister's Residence Report

Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has threatened a defamation lawsuit of at least one million shekels (approximately $270,000) against Channel 13 news and journalist Raviv Drucker. The legal threat was issued via her attorney, Uriel Huri Nazri, in a letter sent just before the broadcast of an investigative report by "HaMakor" (The Source) concerning security arrangements and renovations at the prime minister's residences.

Netanyahu vehemently denies the report's claims, calling the questions posed to her "a false, biased, and defamatory situation constituting libel of the most severe kind" intended to harm her reputation. Her legal team specifically addressed allegations regarding work at the private residence in Caesarea, stating that portraying the replacement of a window, necessitated by shrapnel from a drone attack, as a mere "visual renovation" is "absurd" and was driven by urgent security needs.

Furthermore, Netanyahu categorically denies involvement in demands for shutter repairs or kitchen renovations at the residence on Gaza Street, and rejects any interference in security arrangements. The letter emphasizes that all decisions regarding the family's security are made solely by professional security personnel, without her input.

Beyond the defamation claims, Netanyahu's attorneys accuse Drucker and "HaMakor" of endangering lives by potentially exposing sensitive security details of the prime minister and his family to terrorist elements. They assert the entire investigation is politically motivated, aiming to create a propaganda campaign against her.

The letter concludes with an ultimatum: if the report airs with the alleged defamatory content, an immediate civil lawsuit for at least one million shekels will be filed, alongside a criminal complaint and a request for an injunction to remove the publication and demand an apology.