Hailing joint ‘secret operations,’ Shin Bet bids farewell to outgoing IDF chief

The top brass of the Shin Bet security service on Monday bade farewell to outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, hailing the cooperation between both organizations and covert operations they led together in the last several years.

Eisenkot will be replaced on January 15 by Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the former head of Military Intelligence and the Northern Command and the current deputy chief of staff.

He was initially due to retire on January 1; however, to allow additional time for Kochavi to prepare for the role, Eisenkot’s tenure was extended by two weeks.

During an official ceremony at the Shin Bet headquarters in northern Tel Aviv, the agency’s head, Nadav Argaman, hailed the “record-breaking” cooperation between the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces in recent years, according to a Shin Bet statement.

“You led a practical and affable path, based on trust, transparency and professionalism,” Argaman said.

“On the sensitive and strategically important security issues, I found in you a remarkable and loyal partner who regards the benefit of the state as the top priority,” he added. “Together, we led sensitive operations and secret intelligence activities that dramatically contributed to Israel’s security.”

“I want to thank you, on behalf of the Shin Bet, the people of Israel and me personally, and wish you luck in future endeavors,” Argaman concluded.

Eisenkot said during the ceremony that the collaboration between the IDF and the Shin Bet in fighting terrorism and other threats was “unparalleled in the entire world.”

“In recent years we have faced complex security challenges, in both near and far frontiers,” he added.

After thanking Argaman and the rest of the Shin Bet members, both officials met privately to discuss security and intelligence issues currently on the agenda, according to the statement.

Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.