Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he is being subjected to what he described as a full-scale campaign of blackmail and threats by the current head of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, and his former counterpart, Nadav Argaman. Argaman said that if he realizes that Netanyahu is acting against the law, he will “reveal information he has not yet revealed,” in sessions in which the prime minister participated. The Shin Bet quickly responded by stressing that this is “a serious accusation against the head of an official institution.”

This came in a post by Netanyahu on his X account, shortly after an interview with Argaman, published by Israel's Channel 12 on Thursday evening, in which Argaman stated that he would reveal information from his "individual" meetings with Netanyahu if he deemed the former to be acting against the law.

Netanyahu filed a police complaint against Argaman on Friday, saying the former head of the Shin Bet security service had "crossed all red lines."

Netanyahu stated that Argaman "chose to threaten and blackmail a sitting prime minister, using methods and forms common in criminal organizations, as if the head of the Israeli intelligence service were a member of the mafia, employing practices from the criminal world, thereby crossing all boundaries."

Netanyahu said yesterday that "another dangerous red line for Israeli democracy was crossed tonight," adding that "never in the history of Israel, and in the history of democracies, has a former head of a secret organization (the Shin Bet) carried out direct extortion threats against a sitting prime minister."

The Israeli Prime Minister added, explicitly attacking the Shin Bet chief, that "this crime is part of a broader campaign of blackmail and threats, including media interviews conducted in recent days by the current Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar."

Netanyahu stated, "The sole objective is to prevent me from making the necessary decisions to rebuild the Shin Bet after its devastating failure on October 7."

"Let me be clear: mafia-style criminal threats will not deter me," he said, adding, "I will do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of Israel's citizens."

A brief statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office stated, "Once again, completely false news. Contrary to the false report broadcast by Channel 12 this evening (Thursday), the exile of senior Hamas leaders from the Strip has not been abandoned."

Fear of appointing a "political" as head of the Shin Bet

When Argaman was asked in the interview whether the current head of the Shin Bet should leave his post, he said, "Ronen Bar has taken responsibility and must return home. He will not return until all investigations are completed, including those by the current Prime Minister's Office, after a change of government, and after the election of a new Shin Bet head."

He added, "I believe that this government, which failed on October 7, and failed in the strategy it built in general, cannot be the one to appoint a new head of the Shin Bet."

He continued: "I am very afraid that an appointment by this government, or an appointment by the prime minister, is a political appointment; an appointment on behalf of someone."

Asked why Netanyahu and his government have not yet fired Bar, Argaman said, "My assessment is that Netanyahu understands very well that the investigation into the Prime Minister's Office is an investigation into the fact that if the prime minister were to fire Ronen, it would be a conflict of interest."

Argaman was asked about the Shin Bet's failure to obtain any information regarding the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, including its failure to obtain information from supposed agents inside the Strip. He replied: "I don't know how to answer that. All I know is that the claim that the Shin Bet didn't have agents in the Gaza Strip is completely empty talk. The Shin Bet did have agents in the Gaza Strip, and sources in the Strip, despite the difficulty of operating inside it. Not one or two. In fact, they 'did not deliver the goods' (meaning they did not transmit information) on the requested day."

Shin Bet responds

Shortly after Netanyahu's accusations, the Shin Bet issued a statement saying, "This is a serious accusation against the head of an official institution in Israel."

He stressed that "General Security Service Director Ronen Bar devotes most of his time to security issues, efforts to recover detainees, and defending democracy."

He added, "Any other statement in this regard is baseless."

Ben-Gvir welcomes Netanyahu's statements... Lapid and Gantz attack him

Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was quick to welcome Netanyahu's remarks, saying in a brief statement, "The prime minister is right; Ronen Bar cannot remain in his position for another minute; he must be removed."

For his part, opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a statement, "Netanyahu appointed Nadav Argaman as head of the Shin Bet, but I worked with him as foreign minister and as a member of the cabinet. He was professional, completely apolitical, and always sought to confront the enemy. I advise you to listen carefully to what he said tonight."

National Camp bloc leader Benny Gantz said, "Harming state security agencies to achieve political interests is an attempt against state security, and this is what the prime minister is doing tonight at a time when we are facing enormous challenges."

On the 4th of this month, the Shin Bet released its internal investigation into the failures that led to the October 7 attack. The agency acknowledged that it had not provided accurate warning of the scope of the attack, despite prior warning signs.

The Shin Bet placed partial blame on the Israeli military, citing poor intelligence coordination between the two agencies, which led to a failure to take proactive steps to prevent the attack launched by the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.

The investigation also included criticism of the political echelon, indicating that the government's "settlement policy," including allowing the flow of "Qatari funds" into Gaza, was part of an approach that contributed to the movement's growing military power.