Netanyahu Sues Haaretz Over Report of Pre-October 7 UAE Warning

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday he instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against Haaretz newspaper, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and others.

The lawsuit targets a Haaretz report published Tuesday, which claimed UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Netanyahu about a major Hamas operation approximately 10 days before the October 7, 2023, attack. The report, citing unnamed senior foreign sources and excerpts from a new book, detailed a 45-minute conversation where bin Zayed cautioned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major move or earthquake in Gaza.

A senior Egyptian intelligence official also delivered a similar warning to Netanyahu and the National Security Council during the same period. Netanyahu's office, National Security Council, and military secretariat found no record of a conversation between him and the UAE President from early September through October 7, 2023. Netanyahu called the report a malicious fabrication and blamed then-Israel Security Agency Chief Ronen Bar and then-Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi for not acting on warning signs or alerting him.

The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to confirm or deny the alleged conversation, stating it does not comment on media stories or speculation. Haaretz stated it stands by its report. Sources familiar with details told The Jerusalem Post that Biden administration officials were unaware of any specific UAE warning before October 7. Polls and prediction markets forecast Netanyahu faces an election defeat on October 27, with his chances of remaining prime minister slipping from 30 percent to 28 percent after the book's revelations. The October 7, 2023, attacks killed about 1,200 people, and 251 were taken hostage.