Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar announced on Monday that he will step down on June 15, citing personal responsibility for the agency’s failure to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
“After years on many fronts, in one night on the southern front, the sky fell. All systems collapsed. The Shin Bet also failed to provide early warning,” Bar said during a memorial for fallen Shin Bet personnel. “As the head of the organization, I took the responsibility.”
The Oct. 7 massacre left approximately 1,200 people dead and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza. Israeli officials have described the attack as the greatest intelligence failure in the country’s history.
Bar’s resignation comes amid broader criticism of Israel’s pre-Oct. 7 strategic assumptions vis a vis Hamas. As JNS has reported, these flawed assessments contributed significantly to Israel’s unpreparedness for the assault.
Appointed in 2021, Bar served nearly three decades in the Shin Bet, including in senior counterterrorism roles. In recent months, under his leadership, the agency has been heavily involved in dismantling Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.
The government is expected to begin the process of appointing Bar’s successor immediately, as Israel faces evolving security threats across multiple fronts.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Bar for his decades of service, calling his decision “a responsible step” and urging the establishment of a broad state inquiry into the failures that led to Oct. 7. He stressed that the Shin Bet must remain above politics and praised its agents for risking their lives to protect the country. As Memorial Day approaches, Herzog said he stands with all Shin Bet personnel and prays for their success and safety.
