REPORT: Shin Bet and IDF warned Benjamin Netanyahu of imminent threats p

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. — Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90

Security Officials Warned Netanyahu of Imminent Threats Months Before October 7 Attack

On July 23, 2023, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi contacted Netanyahu at Sheba Medical Center. Bar issued a "strategic warning of war," noting that Israel's adversaries saw internal divisions over the government's judicial overhaul as a sign of weakness. He urged Netanyahu to halt the legislation, which had sparked widespread protests and unrest. Halevi, on the other hand, warned that the IDF's readiness was deteriorating, which could be exploited by Israel's enemies.

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Netanyahu's office has denied receiving such warnings, claiming that had the prime minister been informed, the outcome of the October 7 attack would have been different.

The "Uvda" report also included allegations of transcript tampering, where Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, reportedly pressured a stenographer to alter the timestamp of Netanyahu's first call with military officials on the morning of October 7. The incident has led to claims of forgery, which Netanyahu's office has promised to address in the ongoing investigation.

The program aired transcripts of Netanyahu's early conversations with Maj. Gen. Avi Gil on October 7, with the prime minister expressing frustration over the lack of intelligence warnings about the attack. Netanyahu acknowledged the need for an investigation into the intelligence failure.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly stated that public outcry over the attacks would likely result in calls for government resignations, though he later distanced himself from these remarks. Smotrich admitted to having limited knowledge of the Hamas “Nukhba” unit, which carried out the attack, citing significant information gaps between military and political leaders.

Netanyahu's office has condemned the "Uvda" report, calling it “slander and lies,” and reaffirmed the prime minister's focus on achieving “a historic victory” for Israel.