Netanyahu Allies Blast Security Chief as Leak Case Stokes ‘Deep State’ Feud
An Israeli domestic intelligence officer’s arrest for allegedly leaking classified information has escalated into a political firestorm.
The Shin Bet security service reservist—identified only as “Aleph”—was detained on suspicion of passing secret material to a government minister and journalists. The leaked files reportedly concerned a covert Shin Bet investigation into far-right ideology in the police and unreleased findings on security lapses before Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack.
Lawyers for the agent insist he acted in the public interest and endangered no national security. But the Shin Bet has described the incident as a “grave and unusual” breach requiring an urgent probe. The agency says the staffer abused his access “to take classified material and transfer it to unauthorized people,” and stressed that no journalists were interrogated or had their phones tapped during the investigation.
A court partially lifted a gag order, naming Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and two reporters as recipients of the leaks, while barring publication of the suspect’s name.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies reacted with outrage, accusing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar of launching a vendetta against the elected government. In a statement amplified by Netanyahu on social media, his Likud party charged that Bar—alongside Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara—had turned parts of Shin Bet into a “private militia of the deep state” bent on undermining the government.
Likud demanded Bar’s removal, even as the Supreme Court has frozen the government’s attempt to dismiss him. Chikli, who received the leaked documents, praised the detained agent as an “Israeli hero” who exposed alleged misconduct. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called Bar a “dangerous man” and even said the Shin Bet leaker should be appointed to lead the agency.
Smotrich also refused to attend a high-level security meeting if Bar was present, prompting the meeting’s cancellation. The discussion—meant to cover the war in Gaza and negotiations for hostages held by Hamas—was called off at short notice.
Families of hostages called the cancellation an “ominous sign,” warning that critical national security matters were being derailed by political feuds. Opposition leaders sharply criticized the move. Yair Lapid said canceling a security session due to “a threat from an extremist minister” violated state security, while Benny Gantz warned that internal infighting was putting the country at risk.
Shin Bet chief Bar, a 25-year veteran of the agency, has previously acknowledged failures leading up to the Hamas assault and offered to step down at the end of his term. He has defended the leak investigation as necessary and denied accusations of political persecution.
The agency says it has handled more than 20 classified leak cases over the past year, reflecting what it describes as a surge in insider threats.
Netanyahu’s office has attempted to downplay signs of operational strain. After the prime minister toured Israeli forces in Gaza without a Shin Bet escort, his office said it had been “a military visit and not a Shin Bet visit.”
Still, the scandal has widened the rift between the government and the security establishment, deepening mistrust and sparking a public debate over accountability, loyalty, and control within Israel’s defense and intelligence apparatus.
