Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S. August 25, 2021. Olivier Douliery/Pool via REUTERS

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday appointed R the new director of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet).

R (55), a married father of three, currently serves as the Shin Bet’s deputy director. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University, and served in the Israel Defense Forces General Staff Reconnaissance Unit before joining the Shin Bet’s operational unit, according to a statement from Bennett’s office.

He was appointed head of the Shin Bet’s operations branch in 2011 and in 2016 became head of the staff branch. He was appointed deputy director of the agency in 2018.

R’s name and picture may not be published prior to the confirmation of his appointment by the government and the advisory committee on senior civil service appointments.

“R is a daring fighter and an excellent commander. I have no doubt that he will lead the agency to new heights of excellence on behalf of the security of Israel,” said Bennett.

Shortly after taking office in June, Bennett extended the tenure of the current Shin Bet director, Nadav Argaman, into October. Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, extended Argaman’s tenure by four months in April.