The New York Times dismissed Israel’s threat to sue the paper over its “Israeli dogs rape Palestinians” article published Sunday that came under fire from Jewish groups and advocates, saying the case “has no merit” and is “part of a well-worn political playbook” to chill the free speech of journalists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said they had instructed officials to pursue the avenue of a lawsuit over what they called “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel.”

The column alleged widespread, systemic violent sexual and physical abuse of Arab detainees in Israeli prisons, with claims as outlandish as the testimony of one Gazan journalist who said the IDF coaches dogs to rape Arab prisoners, saying that he himself had been raped by a dog. The column, published in the opinion section, relies on unverified testimony from 14 witnesses, all but two of whom remained anonymous. The two named witnesses are known Hamas sympathizers whose stories grew more elaborate with each retelling over the years, according to HonestReporting.

The column further relies on Euro-Med Monitor, which Israel says is a front for Hamas and from whence the “Israel dogs rape prisoners” claim first emerged nearly two years ago.

No Israeli prison guards or doctors were interviewed for the piece.

In its defense, the New York Times pointed to the author’s credentials. Nicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist with extensive experience reporting on the sexual abuse of civilians in conflict zones, they noted, adding that he collected testimony from 14 victims that independent human rights organizations (i.e., the problematic Euro-Med Monitor) corroborated.