Tel Aviv – Arab Canada News

Israeli Security Agency (Shabak) chief Ronen Bar announced his resignation from his position, effective June 15, following sharp criticisms directed at security agencies in the wake of the October 7 attack.

In an official statement, Bar said: "After years of working on multiple fronts, in one night, on the southern front, the sky collapsed... all systems collapsed." He added: "The Shabak failed to issue a prior warning, and given the magnitude of the event, we all, who chose public service and protecting the security of the state as our life message, must humbly bow before the dead, the injured, the kidnapped, and their families, and act in a manner befitting the responsibility that lies upon us all."

Bar affirmed that recognizing the magnitude of the responsibility and acting accordingly is "an integral part of personal example and leadership legacy," emphasizing that "there is no legitimacy to remain in leadership without bearing the consequences of failure."

Bar's resignation comes amid growing popular and political anger in Israel over security failures that allowed the sudden attack on settlements and Israeli towns in the south of the country on October 7, with expectations of further changes in the leadership of security and military institutions in the upcoming period.