Who is David Barnea, the head of the Mossad and the man lauded by Israelis as a hero for playing a pivotal role in altering the history and future of the Middle East?

Barnea was born in 1965. His story is one of tenacity, hope, and courage. His parents were Holocaust survivors whose experiences instilled in him not only a sense of duty but also national pride. Barnea joined Mossad in 1996, spending over a decade in human intelligence operations, rising to become Mossad’s European station chief, where he headed the agency’s most vital operations. After returning to Israel, he served as the deputy chief of Mossad’s Keshet unit, a division well-known for its expertise in surveillance, break-ins, bugging, and sabotage across hostile and non-hostile territories.

Barnea gained deep knowledge about covert operations that have made Mossad a feared and effective intelligence agency over the decades. In 2019, Barnea was named to run all global Mossad operations and became its deputy director.

He played an important role, among other things, in helping the CIA execute the daring 2020 operation that assassinated Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the mastermind behind Iran’s Quds Force and its maleficent network of militias targeting U.S. forces and Israel.

Barnea’s steady rise through Mossad was distinguished by his expertise in human intelligence and technical surveillance. This expertise ensured that he was well-prepared for his latest mission: attacking and destroying Israel’s adversaries in Lebanon and Iran. As Mossad’s director, Barnea acts under the motto: “Never forget, never forgive.” 

His tenure has coincided with mounting regional tensions, climaxing with the brutal October 7 Hamas attack that massacred hundreds of Israeli civilians. Nevertheless, his response has been unflinching: those culpable for the violence and terror will find no refuge. Drawing comparisons to Mossad’s operations after the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, Barnea has vowed that the authors of the recent atrocities will face swift and implacable justice.

Under Barnea’s leadership, Mossad has drawn upon its full capabilities. The agency has enhanced its technological prowess, using advanced surveillance and cyber tools to identify and neutralize enemy targets well beyond Israel’s borders.

As Barnea sees it, Hezbollah, which functions as Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, constitutes a clear and present danger to Israel’s northern front. Israel’s recent successes in targeting key Hezbollah figures, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah, suggest a significant intelligence breakthrough within the group. The recent successes offer a stark contrast with the miscalculations of before the October 7 attack.

This strategic shift indicates that Mossad has found success in combatting Iran’s proxies across the Middle East. With the region teetering on the edge of widespread conflict, Iran continues to fuel chaos through proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has also extended its reach into Africa, using Hezbollah’s networks to destabilize the continent further. 

Tehran’s ambition is clear. It will continue to export its revolutionary credo whenever and wherever possible. Can Barnea achieve what many see as the ultimate goal—undermining the Iranian regime itself?

Iran is not inherently a nation of terrorism; it is a land with a rich cultural heritage and a well-educated populace. It is the regime, not the people, that has fomented violence around the globe.

The United States has a rare opportunity to shape this outcome. The message must be clear: the era of catering to Tehran has come to an end. A targeted response to Iranian aggression would not only cripple the regime’s ambitions but also demonstrate that the United States will no longer tolerate destabilizing forces in the region. By leveraging the partnership and professionalism of officials such as David Barnea, the United States can improve its efforts to combat the Iranian regime. For the sake of peace, freedom, and the future of the Middle East, the time to act is now.

Ahmed Charai is the Publisher of the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune and serves on the boards of directors of the Atlantic Council, the International Crisis Group, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the Center for the National Interest.

Image: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem / FLICKR.