Ex-Shin Bet Chief Warned of War Risk Weeks Before Oct. 7

Ronen Bar, then head of the Shin Bet internal security agency, requested a meeting with a Knesset subcommittee three weeks before the October 7 Hamas attack to warn of an imminent war risk and the possibility of a multi-front conflict. This was an unusual step for the head of the Shin Bet, who rarely initiates such closed-door meetings. Bar reportedly titled his presentation "The Perfect Storm," arguing that internal Israeli divisions weakened the country's deterrence and might embolden adversaries. This warning followed several other alerts issued to political officials throughout 2023. Bar had personally contacted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July to convey the war risk, and military intelligence sent four messages to the Prime Minister between March and July indicating that Israel's enemies saw its internal crisis as an opportunity. According to security officials, Bar approached the Knesset subcommittee directly because he felt his previous warnings were not sufficiently heeded by the political leadership. These revelations emerge amid a dispute between Bar and Netanyahu over responsibility for the events preceding October 7. Netanyahu has accused the former Shin Bet chief of failing to issue a specific warning on the night before the attack, despite concerning indicators. Bar, in turn, has accused Netanyahu of selectively presenting documents from that period.