The appointment of Roman Hofman was announced by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who participated in Hofman's inauguration ceremony.
Hofman was born in the Belarusian SSR in 1976, and in 1990, he immigrated with his family to Israel, where he built a career in the army, eventually rising to the rank of major general.
Before his appointment, Hofman served as the military secretary to the Prime Minister. As the head of Mossad, he succeeded David Barnea.
"The appointment of Major General Roman Hofman as the head of the Mossad foreign intelligence service is a historically significant event. This is the highest position in the security structures ever held by a representative of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the history of Israel," stated Dmitry Hendelman, an advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister's office.
Speaking at Hofman's inauguration ceremony, Netanyahu stated that Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and threaten the existence of the Jewish state.
Mossad is Israel's foreign intelligence service, responsible for gathering intelligence, counter-terrorism activities, and conducting special operations abroad.
The service is directly subordinate to the Prime Minister of Israel and is not under parliamentary oversight, being one of the three key intelligence agencies in the country.
