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Netanyahu Taps Missile Defense Chief as New National Security Head
(MENAFN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appointed veteran defense and intelligence figure Shmuel Ben Ezra as the new head of Israel's National Security Council, filling a post that has been vacant since the removal of Tsachi Hanegbi in October 2025.
According to a statement issued by Netanyahu's office, Ben Ezra steps into the role following a distinguished career at the forefront of Israel's strategic defense architecture, most notably his leadership in developing the "Arrow 3" missile defense system — one of the country's most critical air defense assets.
Ben Ezra is widely regarded as a towering figure across Israel's intersecting defense and technology sectors. Beyond his work on the "Arrow 3" program, he held a series of senior positions within Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency, where he oversaw operations, technology, and cybersecurity portfolios, according to Israeli media reports.
The appointment arrives nearly a year after Hanegbi vacated the position he had occupied since January 2023. Netanyahu's office offered no official explanation for the end of his tenure at the time — but Israeli media painted a clearer picture.
Reports indicated that Hanegbi's exit followed deepening rifts with Netanyahu over the conduct and direction of the war in Gaza. Specifically, Hanegbi had opposed proposals for a full Israeli occupation of Gaza and had advocated for pursuing an interim agreement combining a prisoner exchange with a ceasefire — positions that placed him at odds with Netanyahu's hardline approach.
Hanegbi also publicly called for a thorough investigation into the failures surrounding the events of October 2023, acknowledging upon his departure that he had been "part of that failure" and that lessons needed to be learned from it.
The leadership transition at the National Security Council comes as Israel's war on Gaza grinds past the two-year mark. The conflict has killed nearly 73,000 people and injured more than 172,000, while causing sweeping destruction estimated to have affected 90% of civilian infrastructure across the territory.
According to a statement issued by Netanyahu's office, Ben Ezra steps into the role following a distinguished career at the forefront of Israel's strategic defense architecture, most notably his leadership in developing the "Arrow 3" missile defense system — one of the country's most critical air defense assets.
Ben Ezra is widely regarded as a towering figure across Israel's intersecting defense and technology sectors. Beyond his work on the "Arrow 3" program, he held a series of senior positions within Israel's Shin Bet domestic security agency, where he oversaw operations, technology, and cybersecurity portfolios, according to Israeli media reports.
The appointment arrives nearly a year after Hanegbi vacated the position he had occupied since January 2023. Netanyahu's office offered no official explanation for the end of his tenure at the time — but Israeli media painted a clearer picture.
Reports indicated that Hanegbi's exit followed deepening rifts with Netanyahu over the conduct and direction of the war in Gaza. Specifically, Hanegbi had opposed proposals for a full Israeli occupation of Gaza and had advocated for pursuing an interim agreement combining a prisoner exchange with a ceasefire — positions that placed him at odds with Netanyahu's hardline approach.
Hanegbi also publicly called for a thorough investigation into the failures surrounding the events of October 2023, acknowledging upon his departure that he had been "part of that failure" and that lessons needed to be learned from it.
The leadership transition at the National Security Council comes as Israel's war on Gaza grinds past the two-year mark. The conflict has killed nearly 73,000 people and injured more than 172,000, while causing sweeping destruction estimated to have affected 90% of civilian infrastructure across the territory.
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