Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar on Monday said he would file a defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier in the day accused the ex-spy chief of knowing about the threat of a Hamas attack on the night of October 7, 2023, but choosing not to inform the prime minister.

Netanyahu’s accusation, and Bar’s threat of legal action, came amid controversy in Israel over several reports that Arab leaders had warned the prime minister of an impending attack in the days and weeks leading up to the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people in Israel and sparked the war in Gaza.

In an apparent attempt to quell the storm, Netanyahu on Sunday visited the United Arab Emirates to meet with its leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and reportedly asked that bin Zayed publicly deny a report that he had warned Netanyahu about the looming Hamas threat in a phone call just before the attack.

The Prime Minister’s Office on Monday confirmed the visit, but did not comment on its purpose.

Earlier Monday, Netanyahu flatly denied separate reports that Egypt’s then-intelligence chief Abbas Kamel had personally called him just days before the Hamas invasion. He instead accused former Shin Bet chief Bar of not alerting him on the night before the attack, and chalked the reports of repeated warnings to a “left-wing media” campaign aimed at pinning blame for October 7 on him.

Netanyahu claimed that overnight on October 7, Bar, then-IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva “discussed all the warning signs” of a Hamas attack, but “Bar decided not to call and update the prime minister, not to alert the civilian security squads and IDF forces in the field, not to evacuate the Nova festival.”

The Kan public broadcaster reported Monday evening, based on an official investigation of the occurrences of that night, that there had been no contact between Bar and Halevi in the hours prior to the Hamas attack.

In a dramatic statement made just hours after Netanyahu’s accusation, Bar threatened to sue for defamation and called for the release of documents and testimony concerning what information was given to Netanyahu........

© The Times of Israel