Israel’s Netanyahu decides to dismiss Shin Bet head over ‘lack of trust’

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced his decision to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, citing a lack of trust between them.

“I have decided to propose to the government the dismissal of Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.

“At all times, and especially during an existential war like this, there must be complete trust between the prime minister and the head of Shin Bet,” he added.

“Unfortunately, the opposite is true—I no longer have that trust,” Netanyahu said.

Tensions between Netanyahu and the Shin Bet escalated in recent days following the agency’s internal investigation into the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Netanyahu dismissed the report’s findings, saying they failed to answer key questions.

The security service acknowledged its failure to assess Hamas’ capabilities before the attack, but said Netanyahu’s policies were also among the underlying causes of the attack.