Ronen Bar launches the latest salvo in a continuing showdown with the Israeli Prime Minister who divided the country.
The Israeli spy chief accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to fire him for refusing to commit illegal activities aimed at protecting the leader’s personal and political interests.
Lonen Barr, chief of Singh Bett, Israel’s national intelligence agency, made the allegation of an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Monday. Netanyahu’s move last month was suspended by the court until it awaits an investigation, and subsequent conflicts have sparked massive protests, accusing the crowd of risking democracy.
Netanyahu said he would plunder the Spy Chief due to a collapse of trust, as it led to the Gaza War in October 2023 in connection with the Hamas attack.
But Barr said Netanyahu’s decision was motivated by a series of events between November 2024 and February 2025.
In the uncategorized portion of the court filing, Barr said Netanyahu had told him that he hoped Singh Bett would take action against Israelis, who were particularly focused on surveillance of protesters’ financial supporters.
Singh Bett’s head also said he refused to approve a security request aimed at exempting Netanyahu from testifying in an ongoing corruption trial where he faces charges of bribery, fraud and public trust violations.
The bid for Netanyahu’s expelling bar came as Shin Bet was investigating the economic ties between the prime minister’s office and Qatar, a key mediator of the Gaza war. Critics say the fire was contaminated by conflicts of interest and was intended to derail the investigation.
Singh Bett was also conducting an investigation based on suspicion that Hamas’ attacks on Southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when the government killed more than 1,100 people and took about 250 prisoners of war before Hamas’ attack on Southern Israel.
Of these, more than 50 remain in Gaza. Netanyahu and the hard-line Zionist party supporting his government are facing severe criticism for not agreeing to a ceasefire and the return of the remaining prisoners.
Israel’s onslaught in Gaza killed more than 51,000 people, according to the Enclave’s Ministry of Health.
Netanyahu’s office said Barr’s affidavit was “full of lies” and later responded to some of his claims, saying Hamas “failed miserably” when he attacked Israel.
He also denied that the move to Sack Bar was intended to interfere with the so-called “catargate” investigation.
“The fire was not intended to prevent an investigation. Rather, the fire was intended to prevent an investigation,” he said.
Netanyahu’s move to Sackbar was suspended by the Supreme Court after political watchdogs and opposition lawmakers alleged that the fire was illegal.
The bid to lift the ongoing battle with the spy chief further encouraged protests against the government’s failure to secure prisoners from Gaza.
Burr accepted that Singh Bett did not stop Hamas’ attack and said on Monday “I will announce my resignation date soon.”
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