Roman Gofman becomes new Mossad chief; at ceremony, Netanyahu says Israel will ‘help’ Iranian regime fall

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Iranian regime is “destined to pass” and vows that Israel will help it do so, while speaking at a welcoming ceremony for new Mossad chief Roman Gofman, who has officially entered the role after lengthy legal challenges to the appointment.

“This regime of terror, whose fate is to pass from the world — and we will help it reach that destination — will not again threaten us with nuclear bombs and thousands of deadly ballistic missiles. That is my directive,” Netanyahu tells those in the audience, reiterating similar remarks he gave at last night’s ceremony for outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea.

“That is your mission, Roman,” Netanyahu says, addressing Gofman, adding that “the Mossad will continue to stand at the forefront of our struggle against Iranian aggression… In accordance with the consistent policy we have pursued for years, we will not allow the Iranian regime to turn back the clock. We will not allow it to obtain nuclear weapons, and we will not allow it to threaten our existence.”

In his own address, Gofman says that “the strategic reversal that we brought about against the Iranian axis” through Israel’s military actions against Tehran and its proxies “has changed the balance of power across the entire region.”

“But the task is not yet complete. The heart of the Mossad lies in covert operations against its targets. We will safeguard that mission at all costs,“ he vows.

With Gofman taking on the role of Israel’s 14th Mossad director, his prior role of military secretary to the prime minister remains vacant. Netanyahu has not yet announced a successor for Gofman as military secretary, although he is expected to do so soon.