Former Israeli Security Minister Avigdor Lieberman has claimed that in December 2016, during his time as security minister, he presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a detailed document, warning that Hamas would launch an attack in the same manner it did on October 7 if its capabilities were not dismantled. 

The document outlined the scenario of a Hamas attack precisely as it unfolded, Liberman claimed.

He further detailed that Netanyahu initially needed persuasion to raise the issue at a cabinet meeting, where the document was “waved away dismissively,” even by security officials, and Liberman felt that his warning was not taken seriously.

Liberman stated that "anyone who thinks the war against Hamas can continue for months isn’t watching the world."

He also underscores the importance of not concluding the struggle until Hezbollah is compelled to withdraw from the northern border. Otherwise, he believes that the events in the southern region may be replicated in the north.

Liberman concluded by saying, "We turned 200,000 Israelis into refugees in their own country, and none of them will return."

On his account, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said, on Saturday, that the Israeli military has elevated its state of preparedness to a significant level along the northern Lebanese border.

"The objectives of this war require a ground operation - the best soldiers are now operating in Gaza," Halevi added.

These remarks come as The New York Times reported on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is face-to-face with his own forces after refusing to sign off on plans concerning the ground invasion in Gaza.

Citing multiple sources, the NYT stated that the Israeli leadership has aimed to "obliterate" the Palestinian Resistance in retaliation for the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, but no agreement has been reached regarding how, when, and to what extent.

According to the NYT, the IOF have already finalized a plan, but Netanyahu declined to greenlight it, adding that officials were banned from bringing recording equipment into meetings, which was analyzed by sources as a way to "limit the amount of evidence that could be presented to a national inquiry after the war."

This comes after 85-year-old hostage Yocheved Lifshitz indirectly criticized the Israeli leadership after being released by the Palestinian Resistance in an interview on Tuesday, saying officials were "no help at all" when she was captured.

Read more: Netanyahu to answer for October 7 failure after aggression ends