Roman Gofman Assumes Role as Mossad Director
Former military secretary to the prime minister succeeds Dadi Barnea, who urged continued focus on Iran and called regime change in Tehran an achievable goal
Gofman receiving the rank of Major General, 2024. Photo: IDF website
Major General Roman Gofman officially assumed the position of Director of the Mossad today. Born in Belarus and immigrating to Israel as a child, Gofman served for many years in the Armored Corps and most recently held the position of Military Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Israel’s political and security leadership bid farewell yesterday to outgoing Mossad Director David (Dadi) Barnea in a ceremony held shortly after Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected petitions challenging Gofman’s appointment. The ruling cleared the final legal hurdle for his assumption of office.
Barnea, the 13th Director of the Mossad, had opposed Gofman’s appointment but called on agency personnel to support his successor and cooperate fully with him. In his farewell remarks, Barnea said that changing the reality in Iran, and ultimately replacing the regime, was an achievable objective that should remain at the top of Israel’s strategic priorities. He called it “our duty to future generations.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed the Iranian issue, declaring that “the foundations of Iran’s regime of terror have been shaken. It will never return to what it was, and its fate is to fall.”
Gofman, born in 1976, immigrated to Israel from Belarus and enlisted in the Armored Corps. During his military career, he held numerous command positions, including tank commander, company commander, deputy battalion commander, commander of the Etzion Brigade, commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, and commander of the Bashan Division.
On October 7, 2023, Gofman encountered terrorists near Sha’ar HaNegev, and was wounded in the ensuing firefight.
Barnea, born in 1965 and a recipient of the Israel Defense Prize, served as a fighter in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit before joining the Mossad, where he held a series of senior operational and command roles in Israel and abroad.
Among other positions, he served as head of the Tsomet Division, head of the Operations Directorate, deputy director of the Mossad, and, from 2021, director of the agency.
During his tenure, Barnea was involved in negotiations for the release of hostages and, according to foreign reports, oversaw a series of covert operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program, senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials, and intelligence infrastructure inside Iran.