From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Netanyahu to Ronen Bar: You could’ve woken me up on Oct. 7 even without my private number
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fires back at former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who today filed a defamation suit against the premier for alleging that Bar knew about the threat of a Hamas attack in the hours ahead of October 7, 2023, but chose not to inform him.
Bar claimed in the suit that he didn’t even have Netanyahu’s private number.
Bar, says Netanyahu on X, who “saw the warning signs on the night of October 7 and didn’t call me, is saying today that he didn’t have my phone number.”
“Ronen, are you serious? After all, you had my secure phone number, and you could have immediately called me, as all heads of the security system do,” he continues, adding that his Shin Bet security agents could also have reached him.
“How many lives we could have saved if only you had called in time,” says Netanyahu.
The Times of Israel Community.