Shin Bet deputy director 'S' will leave his role in the Israeli spy agency after over 30 years of service, the Shin Bet said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Shin Bet Director David Zini accepted his deputy's request to depart from his role, the statement noted, adding that Zini "expressed his great gratitude to 'S' for his significant service," as well as for "his willingness to serve as [Zini's] deputy."
'S' previously served as the agency's acting director after the departure of former chief Ronen Bar, who promoted him to deputy chief in January.
Who is Shin Bet official 'S'?
'S' is 53, married, and has three children. In the IDF, he served as a soldier and then an officer in the Golani Brigade. He joined the Shin Bet in 1995, working on anti-terror issues in the east Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria sections.
From 1995-2010, he filled several different field positions as well as management positions in the east Jerusalem and trained other field agent sections of the agency.
From 2010-2012, he headed the Shin Bet's cyber and signal intelligence unit. In 2012, he was appointed bureau chief to then-chief Yoram Cohen, serving in that position until 2014.
From 2014-2016, he served as the head of the agency's analysis section. He was on academic security studies sabbatical from 2016-2017.
Then, from 2017-2019, he was the heart of the section for thwarting terror in Samaria. He was promoted to be the head of thwarting anti-Israel spying in 2019, a position he served in until 2021.
From 2022-2024, he was in charge of force buildup and long-term planning for the agency.
'S' was on a first-round short list for potential appointment by Netanyahu, but did not make a second-round short list, which included other former deputy chiefs who had served in that role longer than him, as well as other senior defense officials from outside of the Shin Bet, such as Zini.
This is a developing story.