Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Dec 5: In a move that has reshaped Israel’s intelligence leadership, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has named Major General Roman Gofman—his current military secretary and a career army officer with no background in intelligence—as the next director of the Mossad. Gofman will replace David Barnea when Barnea’s term concludes in June 2026.

Netanyahu’s office praised Gofman as an exceptional military leader whose rapid transition into the role of military secretary during wartime demonstrated uncommon capability and resilience. The appointment follows Netanyahu’s recent elevation of another nationalist-leaning military figure, David Zini, to head the Shin Bet, underscoring a pattern of choosing security chiefs aligned with his ideological worldview.

Despite never having served inside the Mossad, Gofman has worked closely with the agency and other defense bodies, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, which described him as the most suitable candidate for the job.

Born in Belarus in 1976, Gofman immigrated to Israel at 14 and joined the armoured corps in 1995. Though not religiously observant, he studied at Ely yeshiva in a West Bank settlement known for its right-wing religious Zionist character. His military career includes leading the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division on the Syrian border, where he drew criticism for allowing intelligence officers to share classified material with a teenager for an unauthorized online influence effort.

At the start of the Gaza war after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks, Gofman was commanding Israel’s national infantry training center. He was seriously injured that same day during clashes with Hamas militants in Sderot. He later joined the Prime Minister’s Office in 2024 and has since become one of Netanyahu’s closest military advisers, frequently representing him abroad and overseeing the implementation of his directives within the IDF.

Although the Mossad itself was not faulted for the intelligence failures surrounding the October 7 assault—its jurisdiction does not cover the Palestinian territories—the heads of both Shin Bet and military intelligence stepped down after accepting responsibility. Gofman’s appointment marks a decisive shift, bringing a battlefield commander rather than a traditional intelligence operative to the helm of one of the world’s most prominent spy agencies.