The fallout from leaks and warnings related to the events of October 7 continues to unfold, accompanied by an escalating dispute between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. This coincides with a complaint filed by the Shin Bet against Channel 12 over the publication of details regarding Netanyahu’s flight.
This evening, the Shin Bet submitted a complaint to the Chief Military Censor, demanding legal action against Channel 12 for committing a serious censorship violation.
According to the Shin Bet, publishing details of the visit while it was underway “endangered the safety of the Prime Minister, the operation, and the forces in the field.” Furthermore, reporting on the visit and the manner in which it was conducted “exposed the agency’s operational methods, placing future operations at greater risk.”
The Shin Bet added that the broadcast put the lives of the Prime Minister, his wife, and the accompanying delegation at risk. The delegation included the head of the Mossad, the head of the National Security Council, the Military Secretary, the head of the Shin Bet’s Security Division, as well as the flight crew and security team.
The complaint centers on the fact that the news of the flight was published at 21:38, while the aircraft was still far from the country’s borders, landing nearly an hour later at 22:27.
A Mossad assessment regarding the severity of the damage caused by Channel 12’s broadcast stated: “This leak constituted a severe security threat to the safety of the Prime Minister and the accompanying delegation. We request that this broadcast incident be treated as a grave event causing damage to the security of the State of Israel.”
In a related context, former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar announced his intention to file a defamation lawsuit against Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding the disclosure of testimonies and documents related to information conveyed to the Prime Minister prior to October 7.
Bar is calling for the release of documents and the schedule of Netanyahu’s meetings with the security establishment and foreign parties. He also intends to summon members of Netanyahu’s office and his aides to testify.
Bar stated that Prime Minister Netanyahu launched an “unbridled and baseless incitement campaign” against him, adding that after refusing for three years to acknowledge responsibility and preventing the public by all means from establishing an official commission of inquiry, Netanyahu began releasing partial documents in a manipulative manner that contradicts their true context.
Bar added: “Now, as testimonies begin to surface regarding the warnings he received prior to October 7, he is attempting to divert attention from himself by leveling accusations against those who warned him in real time.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website