Security chiefs didn't wake me up on October 7: Netanyahu
What's the story
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that security and military chiefs mistook Hamas's preparations for a drill or minor attack before the October 7 assault. He claimed they were afraid to wake him up, thinking he might accidentally trigger an attack. "If we wake up the prime minister, he'll cause Hamas to attack us without meaning to," he asserts the security chiefs believed.
Accountability
Netanyahu denies receiving advance warnings of major assault
Netanyahu said that had he been alerted, he would have ordered a stronger response before the attack.
"If they had woken me up, they knew I'd have woken everybody and canceled Nova (festival) and put the air force on alert," he said.
He has repeatedly blamed Israel's security establishment for the failures surrounding the attack while denying that he received and ignored advance warnings of a major assault from Gaza.
Denial
Egyptian intelligence chief's visit to Israel
The prime minister also confirmed reports of Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel's secret visit to Israel days before the attack.
Kamel had reportedly warned Israeli officials about a potential Hamas assault if Israel didn't agree to a deal involving the release of prisoners and economic concessions.
However, Netanyahu denied meeting or speaking with Kamel during his visit.
He asked who Kamel had met during his visit and said he was at a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers at the time.
Political fallout
Security lapses could weaken Netanyahu's far-right government
The revelations of security lapses and ignored intelligence could further weaken Netanyahu's far-right government as Israel heads to the polls on October 27.
Netanyahu has dismissed the reports as fabrication by political opponents and regional actors who he accuses of attempting to undermine his chances of winning another term.
"I didn't ignore any warnings because I didn't receive any warnings, I mean that's a complete hoax," Netanyahu told CBS News. "It's politically propagated by certain countries or certain elements abroad."