Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid (Yachad) said Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was explicitly warned by the UAE president, Egypt and Israel's top security officials before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, but dismissed the warnings. Lapid stated that he himself had publicly warned Netanyahu on Sept. 20, 2023, three weeks before the massacre, and that Netanyahu responded by going on Channel 14 to say there was nothing to worry about. 'If Netanyahu had done his job, the massacre would have been prevented,' Lapid said, according to a Yediot News 25 report.
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid (Yachad) launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday morning, following a report that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu days before the October 7 massacre. Lapid said he had warned Netanyahu publicly on September 20, 2023, and that the prime minister dismissed the warning. He added that the UAE president, Egypt, and Israel's security chiefs all warned Netanyahu as well, but Netanyahu's only response was to go on Channel 14 and say there was nothing to worry about. Lapid's statement adds to the ongoing political debate over responsibility for the deadliest terror attack in Israel's history.
3 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu: 'I immediately understood it was a war' — his account of October 7 morning
- DevelopingNetanyahu claims defense officials 'deliberately' failed to wake him on Oct. 7 morning
- StrongErdan: Third of Likud Faction Sought to Oust Netanyahu After Oct. 7
- DevelopingReport details pre-Oct. 7 failures: Egyptian warning misinterpreted, Netanyahu did not share UAE call
Source and signal
- Open-source intake