Reports indicate that Shin Bet director Ronen Bar has decided the agency will not intervene in domestic election influence campaigns driven by automated bot networks. According to reports, Bar maintains that monitoring the activities of domestic actors is outside the legal and operational purview of Israel’s internal security service.

This stance has created friction within security and political circles. Unnamed sources cited in reports have characterized the decision as an abdication of duty, accusing the agency of failing to protect the democratic process from internal manipulation. Critics argue that in an era where digital influence can significantly sway public opinion, the distinction between foreign and domestic threats is increasingly blurred, and that the agency’s refusal to act leaves a critical security gap.

Conversely, those aligned with the agency's current position emphasize that the Shin Bet’s mandate is strictly defined by law, focusing primarily on counter-terrorism and foreign espionage. They suggest that expanding the agency's reach to monitor domestic political discourse could lead to government overreach and the potential weaponization of intelligence services against Israeli citizens. As of now, there has been no official statement from the Shin Bet clarifying the extent of their involvement in election security or confirming the specific parameters of their domestic monitoring policy.