Top Israeli intelligence agency 'radically changed' under successful leader
According to ProPublica, Barnea did not initially plan to become an intelligence officer. The outlet noted that Barnea served as a team leader of an Israeli commando unit before pursuing a career in business. However, Barnea changed career paths following the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in November of 1995.
Barnea's mentor, David Meidan, told ProPublica that Rabin's assassination 'shocked' Barnea and that he was trying to find 'some meaning in his life' following Rabin's death. ProPublica reported that Barnea eventually decided to join the Mossad's trainee program, where he became a case officer in the Mossad's Tzomet division a year after joining the agency.
According to ProPublica, Barnea was appointed as the deputy head of the Mossad and the chief of the agency's operations directorate in 2019. The outlet noted that Barnea was responsible for overseeing the operation that led to the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a key leader in the development of Iran's nuclear program, in November of 2020.
In June of 2021, Barnea was appointed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the director of the Mossad. ProPublica reported that Barnea recruited non-Israeli agents in Iran who played critical roles in the Israel Defense Forces airstrikes that targeted Iran's nuclear program in June. The non-Israeli agents helped disable Iran's air defenses and locate the homes of Iran's nuclear scientists.
The Mossad has overseen multiple successful operations under Barnea's leadership in addition to the agency's success during Israel's strikes against Iran in June, including the operation that targeted Hezbollah terrorists with exploding pager devices and the assassination of a Hamas political leader and multiple nuclear scientists in Iran.
According to ProPublica, Haim Tomer, who serves alongside Barnea in the Mossad, claimed that while Barnea might not be as 'strategic, charismatic or flamboyant' as some of the previous directors of Israel's intelligence agency, Barnea has become known as a 'top-tier operator.'
A senior defense official previously told The Times of Israel that Barnea 'radically changed' the Mossad. 'He flipped the script and reached new heights in the use of technology for things like smart surveillance cameras and facial recognition,' the official said. 'It wasn't easy for him,'
ProPublica reported that while the directors of the Mossad typically serve for five years, Barnea's term could be extended due to the success of the agency under his leadership.
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