Netanyahu ordered Shin Bet chief to probe Channel 12 over Iran leak — report

As agency seeks to investigate network for having prior knowledge of opening strikes on Iran, pro-government Channel 14 journalists also accused of hinting at other operations in advance

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally directed Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate the Channel 12 news outlet over an alleged leak regarding the date on which the war with Iran would begin earlier this year, the channel reported Saturday.

The report came days after the Shin Bet issued a statement denying government pressure on Zini to probe the allegations after Jacob Bardugo, a right-wing pundit and Netanyahu ally from Channel 14, said he met with Zini to lobby for an investigation of Channel 12.

According to the network, Netanyahu ordered the Shin Bet probe despite Zini’s resistance, with the intelligence chief arguing that an investigation would be futile because thousands of officials had access to the operational plans and the alleged leak did not involve a narrowly held document.

Zini had last week defended his decision to lawmakers not to initially order a probe.

“The incident happened a long time ago; they asked to investigate it several months later. More than 4,500 people were privy to the secret [war plans], and there is no lead. An investigation of this kind, involving media outlets, requires the attorney general’s approval, and she is not expected to grant such approval,” Zini told lawmakers during a security cabinet meeting, the Ynet news site reported Thursday.

Zini nevertheless reportedly ultimately agreed to move forward with the investigation.

According to Bardugo, Channel 12 presenter Yonit Levy and its commentators were already “in full makeup” minutes after the opening strikes were carried out on the morning of Saturday, February 28.

In a statement Friday, the Shin Bet acknowledged that Zini met with Bardugo but insisted the meeting played no role in its decision-making process.

In its report, Channel 12 also pointed to multiple instances in which figures from the pro-government Channel 14 network appeared to similarly have advance knowledge of sensitive military operations.

According to the network, Bardugo himself publicly hinted at an imminent military operation days before Israel’s 12-day campaign against Iran last year, prompting criticism from security officials who argued his comments could have compromised operational security.

“The strike is just moments away,” Bardugo said in a live broadcast two days before the operation began.

Channel 14 military correspondent Hallel Bitton Rosen also reportedly boasted in a private WhatsApp chat with Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit personnel that he knew the exact timing of the opening strike before this year’s war with Iran began.

Channel 12 also alleged that the Shin Bet and the Defense Ministry’s internal investigatory unit, known by the Hebrew acronym Malmab, examined communications metadata to identify people who had contacted journalists named in complaints by Netanyahu, despite the agency publicly insisting it had not investigated individual journalists.

It was unclear whether the use of the communications data had been approved by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Zini recently asked the Justice Ministry to seek the attorney general’s approval for the investigation, Hebrew media reported Thursday.

Last month, Hebrew media reported that Netanyahu had asked Zini to open an investigation into the matter, following similar efforts by Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Channel 14 previously quoted the premier as saying the alleged leak was a “criminal leak” that jeopardized the success of the operation.

Zini said last week that he accepted the role of Shin Bet chief because of his ability to be “loyal to the elected leadership,” while declaring that he brings his own agenda to the position and slamming Israel’s legal system.