Netanyahu Slams Ex-Shin Bet Chief Over Claims of No Contact on Oct. 7
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rebuked former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar for claiming he lacked Netanyahu's personal number on October 7th. Netanyahu stated Bar could have used secure lines or Shin Bet security personnel to reach him, suggesting lives could have been saved. The exchange occurs amid a NIS 3 million defamation suit filed by Bar against Netanyahu, who is accused of deflecting blame for the attack's failures.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu accused ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of lacking seriousness in his claims.
- Netanyahu stated Bar could have used a red phone or security detail to contact him on Oct. 7.
- Bar claimed he did not have Netanyahu's personal number on the night of the Hamas attack.
- The exchange follows a NIS 3 million defamation lawsuit filed by Bar against Netanyahu.
- Bar admitted Shin Bet failed to warn adequately about the Oct. 7 attack's scope and timing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, responding to Bar's claim that he did not have the Prime Minister's personal phone number on the night of the October 7th Hamas attack. Netanyahu asserted that Bar had multiple ways to contact him immediately, including a secure red phone and Shin Bet security personnel who were with him.
"Ronen, are you serious?" Netanyahu questioned in a statement. "You had my red phone number and could have immediately called me, as all heads of the security establishment do." He added that even without the direct line, Bar's own security detail, who were with Netanyahu 24/7, could have reached him within minutes.
Netanyahu suggested that lives could have been saved if Bar had made contact sooner, stating, "How many lives could we have saved if you had only called on time." The Prime Minister's remarks came after Bar filed a NIS 3 million defamation lawsuit against Netanyahu.
In his lawsuit, Bar alleged that Netanyahu falsely attributed actions to him regarding the night of October 7th to deflect responsibility for the security failures. Bar maintained that the Shin Bet provided intelligence updates to the IDF and the Prime Minister's Military Secretary that night, and a commando team was dispatched to the southern region following early warnings. While admitting the Shin Bet failed to provide timely and comprehensive warnings about the attack's scope and timing, Bar denied prior knowledge of the full extent of the assault and claims he did not avoid acting.
