Belarus-born Roman Hofman officially took over today as head of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service. During the ceremony marking the leadership transition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Belarus.
“Belarusian soil produced an entire generation of Israeli leaders,” he said.
Netanyahu recalled that Hofman immigrated to Israel with his parents at the age of 14 and stressed that he had forged his own path in the country.
“Roman, you overcame every obstacle. You overcame every barrier on the way to this position. And now you are officially appointed as the 14th director of Israel’s Mossad,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli prime minister emphasized that the Mossad would continue its efforts against the Iranian regime to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and threatening Israel’s existence.
Roman Hofman was born in Mazyr in 1976. In 1990, he immigrated to Israel with his parents, where he built a military career. In October 2023, during the Hamas attack on Israel, he headed toward Sderot with his driver before the invasion had officially been declared and joined police officers in fighting the militants. He was wounded. Before being appointed Mossad chief, he served as Netanyahu’s military secretary.
