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Major General Roman Gofman was officially sworn in as Israel's 14th Mossad director on Tuesday in a ceremony at agency headquarters, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Iran's "terror regime" is "destined to disappear from the world, and we will help bring about this outcome."
Gofman, who had served as Netanyahu's military secretary since May 2024 and had no prior Mossad experience, replaces David Barnea, who stepped down after five years leading the spy agency.
"I enter this role with humility and a sense of mission," Gofman said at the ceremony, adding, "Prime Minister, I learned from you the secret of leadership."
Gofman's path to the Mossad was contested at nearly every turn. Barnea opposed the appointment and made several attempts to block it, first by promoting an internal Mossad candidate, then by appealing to an advisory committee on senior appointments, and finally by sending a confidential letter to Israel's Supreme Court, which the justices refused to receive.
The Supreme Court validated the appointment on Monday, dismissing a series of petitions that centered on Gofman's role in an operation involving a youth named Ori Elmakayes, used in an online influence campaign.
The court ruled that his conduct in the affair "does not cast moral aspersion on him" and found "no evidence that he knew it was a minor." Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara had also opposed the appointment.
After the court's decision, Barnea sent a message to Mossad staff reversing his public stance: "I expect all of you to stand by Major General Gofman and continue to assist him in taking up his role in the best possible way. The success of Major General Gofman is the success of the Mossad and the success of the entire State of Israel."
Netanyahu praised his new spy chief Tuesday with characteristic directness. "You had immense added value as my military secretary. You don't say much, but when you do, it's spot on."
Gofman was born in Belarus and immigrated to Israel in 1990. His military career included command of Brigade 7 and the Bashan Division. On October 7, 2023, he was in Sderot during Hamas's attack.
After that, he became Netanyahu's military secretary in May 2024, a role that brought him into close personal proximity to the prime minister and helped build the trust that led to his appointment, an appointment widely interpreted as a signal of distrust toward the Mossad's senior ranks following October 7.
His prior role as military secretary is now vacant. Netanyahu has not announced a successor.
In his inaugural speech, Gofman framed the Mossad's mission in terms of an unfinished strategic campaign.
"The strategic reversal we caused to the Iranian axis and the 'plan to destroy Israel' changed the balance of power across the entire region. The Shia axis, which inscribed on its banner the destruction of our state, was struck hard. But the work is not done," he said.
"The core of the Mossad is clandestine activity at the target. We will guard this above all, continue to refine and develop capabilities and methods to surprise and influence," Gofman added.
Netanyahu echoed the framing with sharper language.
"This terror regime which is destined to disappear from the world, and we will help bring about this outcome, this regime will no longer threaten us with nuclear bombs and thousands of lethal ballistic missiles," he said, remarks that came as U.S.-Iran peace negotiations were facing new complications over Lebanon.
A farewell ceremony for Barnea was held Monday evening at Mossad headquarters, attended by President Isaac Herzog, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Shin Bet director David Zini.
Barnea used his farewell speech to press for continuing regime change in Tehran.
"Today, when the Iranian regime is weakened, challenged and more vulnerable, this is the time to complete the task," he said.
"I believed, and I still believe, that changing reality in Iran through regime change is a possible and achievable goal. This mission must remain at the top of our priorities," Barnea said.
In his own farewell remarks, Netanyahu credited Barnea with landmark operations.
"In your watch, great things were done," he said, citing the pager operation against Hezbollah, the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the subsequent collapse of Assad's government in Syria as milestones in what he described as the dismantling of "the axis of evil."
On the pager operation specifically: "You, Dedi, stood firmly on your position in the face of the skeptics when you presented to me what was expected to happen. I said: 'We're going for it with everything we've got.'"
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