Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an affidavit before the Supreme Court, described as a “liar” the country’s internal security chief, whom the government is trying to fire, AFP reports.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s dismissal, announced by the government last month but frozen by the country’s top court, triggered mass protests.

“The accusation according to which I allegedly demanded action against innocent civilians, or against a non-violent and legitimate protest during the protests of 2023, is an absolute lie,” Netanyahu said in his court statement.

Bar denied accusations by Netanyahu and his associates that the Shin Bet had failed to warn in time about Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict in Gaza.

“Nothing was hidden” on that night from the security apparatus or the prime minister, Bar said.

Read more here.