Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had appointed a new Director of the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), which is also referred to by its Hebrew acronym, the Shin Bet.
By Erin Viner for TV7
According to a communique TV7 received from the Prime Minister’s Media Advisor, the new intelligence chief has been serving as the Deputy ISA Director since 2018.
The identity of the incoming Shin Bet head will only be cleared for publication only after his appointment is finalized by the government’s senior appointments committee. Until then, he can only be referred to by the initial “R.”
Prime Minister Bennett lauded his appointee as “a daring fighter and an excellent commander. I have no doubt that he will lead the agency to new heights of excellence on behalf of the security of Israel.”
The 55-year-old married father of three formerly served in the IDF General Staff Reconnaissance Unit before joining the ISA operational unit. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in political science and philosophy from Tel Aviv University and a Master’s Degree in public administration from Harvard University.
“In the framework of his long service on behalf of the security of Israel, R served in and commanded many operations in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria, and Lebanon. In 2011, he was appointed head of the ISA operations branch. In 2016, he was appointed head of the staff branch and was responsible for building up the force of the agency,” read the press release. “Over the years, operations led by R and units under his command have won several security prizes,” it added, going on to state that, “In light of his long experience, his operations and his understanding of the significant challenges facing the State of Israel in general, and the ISA in particular, Prime Minister Bennett decided to appoint him as Director of the ISA.”
“R” will replace outgoing Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman, who was appointed by then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2016.