How a 49-Year-Old Native of Belarus Became Head of Mossad 0 9

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the decision to appoint his military secretary, Major General Roman Hoffman, as the next head of the Mossad Intelligence and Special Operations Service.

Hoffman will replace the current director of Mossad, David Barnea, whose five-year term will end in June 2026.

Roman Hoffman's candidacy has been submitted for consideration by the advisory committee for appointments to senior positions after a series of interviews with various candidates. The final approval of the appointment will take place after all necessary procedures are completed.

Roman Hoffman was born in Mozyr, Belarusian SSR, in 1976. In 1990, he repatriated with his parents to Israel. He studied at the Ort Yami school in Ashdod and then at a military boarding school in the settlement of Eli.

In 1995, he was drafted into the armored corps of the Israel Defense Forces. After completing officer training courses in 1997, he served as a platoon commander and then as a company commander in the 71st Battalion of the 188th Armored Brigade. In 2002, he participated in Operation Defensive Shield. He was then appointed deputy commander of the 71st Battalion of the 188th Armored Brigade. He later held a similar position in the 460th Armored Brigade. He subsequently served on the staff of the Gaash Armored Division.

In 2010, Hoffman was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed head of a department at the Ground Forces Training Center. From 2011 to 2013, he commanded the 75th Battalion in the 7th Armored Brigade. From 2013 to 2015, he was the head of the operations department at the staff of the Gaash Armored Division.

On August 30, 2015, Hoffman was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of the Etzion Territorial Brigade. On August 2, 2017, he took command of the 7th Armored Brigade, Saar mi-Golan.

On July 1, 2019, a decision was made to appoint Hoffman as commander of the Ha-Bashan Division with the rank of brigadier general. On August 14, 2019, Hoffman transferred command of the Saar mi-Golan Brigade to Colonel Udi Tzur and entered the National Security College of the Israel Defense Forces before assuming the position of division commander. On July 1, 2020, Hoffman was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and assumed the position of division commander.

On September 19, 2022, Hoffman transferred command of the Ha-Bashan Division to Brigadier General Tzion Ratzon, and on October 27, 2022, he assumed the position of commander of the National Ground Forces Training Center.

On the morning of October 7, 2023, during a mass invasion by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel, Hoffman realized even before receiving information about the militants' incursion that extraordinary events were occurring in southern Israel, and, together with his driver, he took the initiative to leave his home in Ashdod towards the city of Sderot. Upon arriving at the outskirts of Sderot around 7:15 AM, before the arrival of army units, Hoffman received information from local residents that a vehicle with militants was driving through the city, firing at civilians, and that similar events were happening in other localities. He decided to engage the militants without waiting for reinforcements. Entering the city with a group of police volunteers, Hoffman dismounted near the Sapir Academic College and attacked a group of militants, wounding two. In the ensuing shootout, Hoffman was shot in the left thigh, after which he was forced to retreat and was evacuated to the Barzilai Medical Center, where he underwent four surgeries. As a result of Hoffman's injury, Brigadier General Kobi Heller took over as commander of the National Ground Forces Training Center, a position that was previously expected to be filled only in the summer of 2024. On April 8, 2024, it was announced that Hoffman would be appointed as the military secretary to the Prime Minister of Israel.