Former Shin Bet chief Yuval Cohen has sent a pre-lawsuit warning to Channel 14 and filed a lawsuit against Mika Kobi over what he calls a “false, serious and harmful” publication. The notice and claim were submitted on Wednesday through the law firm Ben Tzur Korb & Co.
The dispute stems from comments Kobi made on June 17 on Shimon Riklin’s program on Channel 14. According to Cohen, Kobi claimed he pressured Israel to release Yahya Sinwar while allegedly knowing Sinwar intended to carry out a massacre. Cohen says the accusation is entirely untrue.
In his response, Cohen said Channel 14 became a platform for spreading “a grave falsehood” against someone who served for decades in Israel’s security establishment. He added, “As the political alternative strengthens, led by Yesh Atid with Eisenkot, the campaign of smear and lies grows too. The pressure is understandable and clear.”
Cohen, who has joined Gadi Eisenkot’s Yesh Atid-aligned party Yashar!, is demanding that Channel 14 issue a public correction and apology, explicitly state that the remarks were false, and remove the misleading publications. Kobi is also being asked to retract his statements.
