IDF General Linked to Teen Psy-Op Case Appointed Next Mossad Chief

(SeaPRwire) –   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary has received approval from a divided committee, despite prior controversy.

An Israeli general who was involved in a controversy concerning the use of a teenager in an online influence campaign has been appointed as the next director of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, who currently serves as his military secretary, will assume the role of the country’s top spy chief. Netanyahu characterized Gofman as a commander who is both “bold and creative” and capable of unconventional thinking.

Gofman, a career officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is widely regarded as a close confidant of Netanyahu. However, his nomination faced criticism in the Israeli media, with some individuals questioning his suitability for the position. His candidacy, first put forward in December, underwent an extensive review by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee due to concerns about his conduct.

The committee granted its approval last week, with three junior members voting against the chairman, former Supreme Court president Asher Gruni, who opposed the decision.

A significant portion of the committee’s review focused on the case of Ori Elmakayes, a Jewish Israeli citizen who, at the age of 17, was involved in a 2022 information warfare operation managed by an IDF unit under Gofman’s command. Elmakayes was subsequently detained for allegedly leaking classified material but was released without charges after it was revealed that the documents had been provided to him by a different IDF unit.

Elmakayes has criticized the committee’s findings, describing them as “ridiculous” and asserting that a crucial witness was not interviewed. He posted on X, warning that “whoever abandoned a 17-year-old boy – will abandon Mossad agents too.”

The committee concluded that Gofman was unaware of Elmakayes’ age at the time and did not learn of his arrest until it became public. Gruni disagreed with these conclusions, expressing skepticism and arguing that, even if true, the situation indicated leadership failures.

The committee also noted that certain documents pertaining to the case were heavily redacted. Gruni added that his dissenting opinion could not be made public due to security restrictions, with only brief remarks included in the report.

Gofman, who was born in Belarus, immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of 14 and advanced through the ranks of the IDF’s Armored Corps. He is slated to succeed the current Mossad chief, David Barnea, whose five-year term concludes in late June.

Last month, The New York Times reported that Barnea had presented plans to US and Israeli leadership aimed at instigating a public uprising in Iran to coincide with the ongoing bombing campaign by the two nations, but the Mossad was ultimately unsuccessful.