
Israel government dismisses Shin Bet intelligence chief Ronen Bar
The Hindu
The head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, was dismissed on March 21, 2025, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office
The head of Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, was dismissed on Friday (March 21, 2025), according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Mr. Netanyahu last week cited an ‘ongoing lack of trust’ as the reason for moving to sack Ronen Bar, who was appointed in October 2021 for a five-year term.
“The Government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to end ISA Director Ronen Bar’s term of office,” a statement said.
Mr. Bar, meant to end his tenure only next year, was appointed by the previous Israeli government that briefly forced Mr. Netanyahu from power between June 2021 and December 2022.
His relations with Mr. Netanyahu were strained even before the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, notably over proposed judicial reforms that had split the country.
Relations worsened after the March 4 release of the internal Shin Bet report on the Hamas attack.
It acknowledged the agency’s own failure in preventing the attack, but also said “a policy of quiet had enabled Hamas to undergo massive military buildup”.

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