Israel's attorney general said on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot name a new internal security chief, following a supreme court decision freezing the government's bid to oust him.

The unprecedented move to fire Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar has deepened divisions in the country while Israel resumes its military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The top court's decision earlier Friday came after opposition parties and a non-governmental organisation filed separate appeals following the government's decision to sack Bar.

"According to the decision of the Supreme Court, it is prohibited to take any action that harms the position of the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar," Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said in a message to Netanyahu published by a spokesperson.

"It is prohibited to appoint a new head of Shin Bet, and interviews for the position should not be held."

In a post on X, Netanyahu insisted it was up to the government to decide who heads the domestic security agency.

"There will be no civil war! The State of Israel is a state of law, and according to the........

© Al Monitor