Ronen Bar

Ronen Bar (רונן בר; born December 25th, 1965) is an Israeli intelligence officer and the director of the Israeli Security Agency (commonly referred to as Shin Bet, Shabak, or ISA) since 13 October 2021. He previously served as deputy head of Shin Bet. Bar was appointed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his nomination was approved by Israel's cabinet on 11 October 2021. He assumed office on 13 October 2021.

Biography
Bar served in the Israel Defense Forces’ Sayeret Matkal unit. He joined Shin Bet as a field agent in 1993, and in 2011 was named head of Shin Bet's Operations Division. Bar became head of the resource development department in 2016, and became Shin Bet deputy chief in 2018.

Bar is expected to serve as director until 2026.

Role in and after Hamas attack on Israel
In an all-staff memo made public on Monday, 16 October 2023, Bar took responsibility for failing to thwart the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas. "The responsibility is mine. Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, on Saturday we were unable to establish sufficient deterrence so as to thwart the attack," he wrote. "There will be time for investigations. Now we are fighting."

In a recording revealed on 3 December 2023, Bar was heard to say that after the 7 October Hamas attack, Israel would kill Hamas's leaders "in every location," even if it takes years. "We are determined to do it, this is our Munich," referring to Israeli efforts to retaliate against terrorists responsible for the 1972 Munich Olympics attack that killed 11 Israelis.

Personal life
Bar's wife, Dafna, is a sister of entrepreneur Shai Agassi.