| Ronen Bar | |
| Allegiance: |  Israel |
| Service: | Shabak |
| Serviceyears: | 1993–present |
| Rank: | Director |
| Nationality: | Israeli |
| Occupation: | Intelligence official |
| Alma Mater: | Tel Aviv University Harvard University[1] |
Ronen Bar (he|רונן בר; born December 25, 1965)[2] 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 replaced Nadav Argaman, after having served as his deputy since 2018. Bar was appointed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his nomination was approved by Israel's cabinet on 11 October 2021.[3] He assumed office on 13 October 2021.[4]
Ronen Bar was born in Rehovot under the name Ronen Beresovsky.[5] Bar joined the IDF in 1984 and served as a soldier and officer in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit.[6] After finishing his military service in 1988, Bar opened a cafe in Tel Aviv called "Bagdad Cafe". 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.
Bar holds a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the Tel Aviv University with honors,[7] and an MA in Public Management from Harvard University. He is fluent in Arabic in addition to Hebrew
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."[8]
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.[9]
Bar's wife, Dafna, is a sister of entrepreneur Shai Agassi.[10]