Ronen Bar Seeks NIS 3 Million in Defamation Suit Against Netanyahu

Former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar is seeking NIS 3 million in a defamation suit against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a complaint dated October 14 and addressed to the Central District Court in Lod. The complaint challenges Netanyahu’s September 28 post about Bar’s conduct surrounding the October 7 attack. Bar alleges that he repeatedly warned Netanyahu in 2023 about Hamas’s growing strength, weakening deterrence and the risk of war on several fronts. He also acknowledges Shin Bet’s failure to identify the attack’s scale and timing, and his responsibility as director. These are claims in the complaint, not judicial findings.