Netanyahu orders lawsuit against Haaretz over alleged pre-attack warning

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a defamation suit against Haaretz, reporter Shlomi Eldar and journalist Ruth Yuval following the publication of an investigation alleging he received an explicit warning from a foreign head of state before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack. According to Haaretz, Netanyahu spoke by phone with the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in September 2023 and was told that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation. The newspaper reported that Netanyahu believed any action would be confined to the West Bank and consequently did not brief his security or defence officials about the call.

Netanyahu's office categorically denied the allegation, calling the report 'completely fabricated'. The office stated that no conversation whatsoever took place between the prime minister and the UAE president from the beginning of September 2023 until 7 October, and claimed that records from his call logs and files from the National Security Council and Military Secretariat corroborated this denial. Haaretz responded by reaffirming its commitment to its reporting and indicating it stood by the story.

The dispute emerges as Netanyahu leads the ruling Likud party towards an election scheduled for 27 October. Reports have indicated declining poll numbers for Netanyahu amid ongoing questions regarding his political future and his management of the security failures that preceded the 7 October attack.