The gates of an all-out conflict are opening in the Middle East. Tehran emits a signal of danger for an imminent, new deadly strike, as top Iranian diplomats and officials warn that the USA and Israel are setting a trap of tactical surprise, hiding their war plans behind the smokescreen of diplomacy. According to analyses, Donald Trump applies a deliberately ambiguous policy of the "neither war, nor peace" type, a strategy of deception that aims to leave Iran unprepared. Despite the block of the US House of Representatives, Donald Trump considers himself above institutions, setting as an absolute priority military victory through the technological advantage of the USA in missiles and drones. But he does not stop there. In the background, processes are taking place so that the next strike washes away the shame of the defeat and humiliation that the USA and Israel suffered from Iran. A pivotal reversal was brought about in Israel, just now. Within a backdrop of absolute rupture, Israel insidiously seeks extreme escalation for the "structural erosion" of Iran. And it is exactly this moment, when Tel Aviv decides to throw into the battle its most ruthless card, the new chief of the Mossad: in a historic and highly controversial move that causes tremors, Roman Gofman officially assumes the leadership of the Mossad. The decision of the Supreme Court to reject the fierce petitions against him paved the way for his swearing-in, despite the unprecedented internal war and the accusations that accompany him. The rise of a purebred military man, without any background whatsoever in the secret services, constitutes a complete rupture with the tradition of decades and is interpreted as a desperate effort by Benjamin Netanyahu to bypass the existing leadership of the service, which bears the weight of the tragic failures of October 7, 2023 and subsequently of the complete reversal of the regime of Iran after the coordinated attack with the USA, a fact that he will pursue immediately and according to the first reports, before the end of the World Cup on July 19, 2026.
Who is Who: From immigrant and boxer, to the helm of the most powerful espionage machine
Born in Belarus in 1976, the 50-year-old today Roman Gofman immigrated to Israel in 1990, constituting part of the huge wave of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, a community that experienced intense discrimination and social exclusion. In his youth, he turned to boxing to survive on the streets, before initiating a brilliant but harsh military career. He served on the front line on the fronts of Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, while in 2017 he assumed the command of the 7th Armored Brigade. His fate changed radically in April 2024, when Benjamin Netanyahu appointed him as his military secretary, promoting him to major general and placing him in the close nucleus of decision-making during the war. From this position, Roman Gofman handled even the highly sensitive Israeli-Russian talks on Syria, winning the absolute trust of the prime minister.
The vision for the overthrow of Iran and the declaration of the first "Mossad war"
During his testimony before the competent government Grunis committee, Roman Gofman gave the sign of the new, highly aggressive strategy that he intends to follow, putting Tehran directly in the crosshairs. The new chief stated with absolute composure that the overthrow of the Iranian regime remains an absolutely achievable goal, despite the huge security challenges. "This is the first war of the Mossad and it will probably not be the last. It is the first campaign of the Mossad with the purpose of overthrowing a regime," he sent a message, causing shivers to international diplomacy and signaling a new era of unprovoked, aggressive operations.
The dark scandal with the 17-year-old blogger and the megaton resignations
His candidacy, however, passed through the clashing rocks of a dark scandal of psychological warfare. Serious civil society organizations and the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara strongly opposed his appointment, due to complaints of unethical behavior. At the center of the case is Uri Elmakayes, a teenager of 17 years, who was reportedly recruited by the military unit of Roman Gofman for a secret operation of influence. The youth was arrested by the domestic security service Shin Bet in 2022 for leaking sensitive information on the internet and was imprisoned under extremely harsh conditions. Roman Gofman initially denied any involvement, but later admitted the contact, claiming that to the teenager only public material was being given. Beyond the elements of the recent political and judicial dispute around his appointment, the digital footprint and the history of Roman Gofman in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) include certain highly interesting, operational and personal elements that complement his profile.
His injury and his "heroic" action on October 7
What made him particularly popular with the Israeli public and gave him huge leverage with Benjamin Netanyahu was his direct, personal involvement in the battles during the attack of Hamas on October 7, 2023. The battle of Sderot As soon as he learned about the invasion, Gofman did not stay at the headquarters. He took his weapon, drove alone toward the south, and arrived at the city of Sderot. There, he formed a makeshift team of police officers and soldiers and clashed directly with heavily armed terrorists. The serious injury During the exchange of gunfire, he was seriously injured in the leg. He was hospitalized for a long period of time and needed to undergo surgical operations and long rehabilitation, a fact that gifted him the profile of the "combat leader who bleeds on the front line".
The hard line in Gaza (2018–2020)
As commander of the Etzion Regional Brigade and later of the Bashan Division, Gofman had become known for his very aggressive and unconventional tactics. In 2018, during a closed military conference, Gofman had caused an uproar when he exercised public criticism on his superiors, openly criticizing the General Staff of Israel and accusing the then leadership of "cowardice". He had said characteristically that the army has become obsessed with technology and air strikes, while the only way to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah is mass, aggressive ground operations and the capture of territories. This "unruly" but determined stance is what fascinated the right-wing political space of Israel.
The connection with Russia and Putin
Due to his origin from Belarus, Gofman speaks fluent Russian and deeply understands the Soviet and Russian military mentality. He was also a key-man in Syria. When Israel needed to coordinate its secret air strikes in Syria so that it would not accidentally strike Russian forces stationed there, Gofman was the man whom Netanyahu sent to Moscow. He had built a direct channel of communication with the Russian military command at the Hmeimim base of Syria, operating as the de facto diplomatic and military liaison of Israel-Russia.
His ideological background
In military and geopolitical fora, Gofman has been described as a supporter of the doctrine of "decentralized aggression" and... a "devil". He believes that the traditional secret services have become too bureaucratic and that the Mossad must operate more like an agile, aggressive commando unit rather than like an intelligence collection service. This fully explains also his statement about the "first regime overthrow war" in Iran. Although the Supreme Court ruled that there were not sufficient elements to cancel the appointment, the internal mutiny in the Mossad has already broken out. The outgoing chief David Barnea had openly sided against the choice of an "external" and inexperienced officer, and despite the fact that after the decision he called on the staff to support his successor, the damage had already been done. The head of the powerful Tevel directorate, which manages relations with foreign secret services, has already submitted his resignation, while in the corridors of the service a massive wave of departures of top officials is taken for granted.
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