Lapid Accuses Netanyahu Aide of Lying About Security Briefing

Opposition leader Yair Lapid on Wednesday escalated his public dispute with an unnamed "diplomatic source," accusing the individual of lying about the content of a security briefing he received from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lapid reiterated his claim that the recent attack on a Flydubai flight was not mentioned during his discussion with Netanyahu.

The "diplomatic source" had previously stated that Lapid was updated on a significant increase in foreign terror activity, unlike anything seen in years. In response, Lapid called the source "irresponsible" and asserted that the warning about foreign activity has existed for over two years and did not specifically pertain to aircraft or events similar to the Flydubai incident.

Lapid accused the source and their office of a deliberate strategy of spreading falsehoods to confuse the public. He suggested the source was attempting to "hitch a pathetic ride" on the heroism of Israelis who prevented a disaster, implying that the government had failed to prepare for it.

Earlier, Lapid had posted on social media that nothing resembling the aircraft incident appeared in the security update provided by Netanyahu the previous evening. He also criticized attempts by Netanyahu's camp to link the current event to prior warnings about pre-election attacks on Israel, calling it "cheap politics at the expense of Israel's security."