Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Israel's former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said Monday that he intends to file a defamation lawsuit against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier accused him of withholding information about the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Bar said Netanyahu’s accusations are “lies.” As part of the lawsuit, he said he would seek testimony and documents concerning information provided to Netanyahu before Oct. 7, as well as the prime minister’s schedule of meetings with security chiefs. “I will summon for testimony members of Netanyahu’s office and his aides, who have assisted and continue to assist him in this manipulative campaign,” Bar said. “I warned Netanyahu of a disaster, and he ignored me,” Bar said, adding that “after refusing for three years to admit his responsibility and doing everything in his power to prevent a state commission of inquiry, he is now trying to deflect blame by leveling accusations at those who warned him at the time.”