Israel’s government approved Ronen Bar as the new chief of the Shin Bet intelligence agency on Monday.
Responding to the development, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted: “Ronen, in my name and in the name of the whole defense establishment, good luck. We have known one another for many years, and I am sure that you will conduct your role with dedication, professionalism and statesmanship, and that you will bring the organization to new heights.”
Gantz added that in recent years, cooperation between the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces increased significantly, adding that “we will together act as a single fist against terrorism and for Israeli security.”
Bar, 55, served in the IDF as a member of the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit and was later recruited to the Shin Bet, where he served in an operational capacity.
In 2011, he was appointed head of the agency’s Operations Branch, and in 2016, he took over the responsibility of the Shin Bet’s staff branch. In 2018, he was appointed deputy director of the agency.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Tel Aviv University and a master’s degree in public management from Harvard University. He is married with three children.
