Khaberni - From blowing up pager devices within Hezbollah to covert operations inside Syria and Iran, Roman Gofman takes over the leadership of Mossad in a phase of regional escalation, amid internal controversy over his loyalty to Netanyahu and his lack of traditional intelligence experience.
Israel has officially approved the appointment of General Roman Gofman as the new head of Mossad, succeeding the current president David Barnea, with his term to begin in June of the coming year, after approval by the senior appointments committee and the signing of the appointment decree by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite widespread political and legal objections internally.
At 49 years of age, Gofman has garnered special attention within Israeli security circles due to his pivotal role attributed to him in the famous "Pager Operation," which targeted thousands of Hezbollah's paging devices in one of the most technically complex operations in the history of intelligence confrontations between Israel and the party. Israeli reports confirm that Gofman was not just a supervisor of the operation, but one of its principal engineers, alongside his contributions in planning the assassination of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and other military leaders, as well as overseeing covert operations inside Iranian territory which are still under military censorship.
Born in 1976 in Belarus, Gofman migrated to Israel at the age of fourteen, where he faced challenges of integration and discrimination, before paving his way through boxing and then the military. He joined the Armored Corps in 1995 and took part in wars in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. He later led combat units and operations behind enemy lines, notably in Syria against sites associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Subsequently, he managed Russia and Iran portfolios in Netanyahu's office, and acted as his unofficial envoy to Moscow, playing a role in formulating security understandings with the Russians regarding Syria and the Iranian presence there.
Within the security establishment, Gofman is seen as "Netanyahu's loyal man," a trait more often repeated by his opponents than his supporters. He held the position of military secretary to the prime minister, and accompanied Netanyahu on most of his sensitive visits, especially to Washington during his meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, and is known for his closeness to circles of the national-religious right and extremists in Israel. Observers believe his appointment is part of Netanyahu's strategy to tighten his grip on security joints, following similar appointments in the army and Shin Bet.
However, Gofman's rise has not been free from controversy. He faced opposition from the current Mossad chief David Barnea, and the government's legal advisor rejected his appointment, with the head of the appointments committee recording a formal objection, opening the door to a potential legal challenge in the Supreme Court. Part of the objections stem from a previous case where Gofman was accused of recruiting a minor in electronic influence operations linked to security files, an incident that sparked sharp criticism and doubts about his professional judgment.
The bigger dilemma is that Gofman, despite his extensive military record, does not possess traditional experience in managing spy networks or recruiting agents, which are central to Mossad's work. Former officials of the agency have expressed "great concern" about his appointment, considering that success in field operations is insufficient to manage a global intelligence institution of this scale, especially at a regional moment inflamed with Iran and its allies.
His appointment comes as Mossad continues to escalate its operations against Iran, with Barnea's recent statements affirming that "the mission will not be complete until the extremist regime in Iran is eradicated."
As Gofman takes command, analysts predict that Israel will enter a more aggressive phase in its shadow war against Tehran, with a greater focus on complex quality operations, akin to "Pager," which have become the hallmark of the new man in Mossad.
