Tamir Pardo
Encyclopedia
Tamir Pardo is the current Director of the Mossad
, taking over the role from Meir Dagan
on 1 January 2011. The appointment was announced by Israeli prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
on November 29, 2010.
as a communication officer in the elite special forces unit Sayeret Matkal
. He was a member of the unit under the command of Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu and participated in Operation Entebbe
. Netanyahu, older brother to current Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, was killed during the operation.
After completing his compulsory service with the Israeli army, Pardo joined the Mossad
and served in entry-level technical positions. He rose through the ranks and eventually became head of the "Keshet" department, responsible for operations, including obtaining electronic intelligence through wiretaps and photographic methods. In 2005, he was in line for promotion to the organization's number 2 position, when another individual was given the job. Mossad chief Meir Dagan thereupon lent Pardo to the IDF, where he served as a senior advisor for operations to the Israeli General Staff. He served in this position during the 2006 Lebanon War. After Dagan fired his number 2, he invited Pardo to return to the Mossad and assume the role. Pardo did so in the belief that when Dagan retired, he would be offered the job. However, Dagan's term was extended and he didn't retire when expected. This led Pardo to leave the Mossad, whereupon he went into private business with Israeli Internet gambling entrepreneur Noam Lanir
.
's CEO, retired Major General Shlomo Yanai, was offered the job but turned it down. Of several other candidates, Pardo was the only one to have served in the Mossad. His choice may reflect a wish on the part of Prime Minister Netanyahu to signal continuity by choosing a candidate from within the ranks.
It was anticipated that Pardo would continue the work of his predecessor, Mossad
director Meir Dagan
, in attempting to thwart any attempts by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to build a nuclear weapon.
On August 2, 2011, German news website Spiegel Online
published an article named "Mossad Behind Tehran Assassinations, Says Source", claiming receiving information from "an Israeli intelligence source", linking Mossad under Tamir Pardo as its chief to the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Darioush Rezaeinejad
in Tehran
on July 23. 2011. The report was reprinted by several news agencies, yet without providing additional sources to confirm the information.
, in an editorial after the appointment was announced, wrote:
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
, taking over the role from Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan is a former Israel Defense Forces officer and former Director of the Mossad .-Biography:...
on 1 January 2011. The appointment was announced by Israeli prime Minister
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
on November 29, 2010.
Pre-Mossad leadership
Pardo served in the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
as a communication officer in the elite special forces unit Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
. He was a member of the unit under the command of Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu and participated in Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
. Netanyahu, older brother to current Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, was killed during the operation.
After completing his compulsory service with the Israeli army, Pardo joined the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
and served in entry-level technical positions. He rose through the ranks and eventually became head of the "Keshet" department, responsible for operations, including obtaining electronic intelligence through wiretaps and photographic methods. In 2005, he was in line for promotion to the organization's number 2 position, when another individual was given the job. Mossad chief Meir Dagan thereupon lent Pardo to the IDF, where he served as a senior advisor for operations to the Israeli General Staff. He served in this position during the 2006 Lebanon War. After Dagan fired his number 2, he invited Pardo to return to the Mossad and assume the role. Pardo did so in the belief that when Dagan retired, he would be offered the job. However, Dagan's term was extended and he didn't retire when expected. This led Pardo to leave the Mossad, whereupon he went into private business with Israeli Internet gambling entrepreneur Noam Lanir
Noam Lanir
Noam Lanir is an Israeli entrepreneur and the controlling shareholder and CEO of Livermore Investment Company, which is traded on the Alternative Investment Market since 2005.- Early life :...
.
Mossad leadership
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu's first candidate for the role of Mossad chief, Teva Pharmaceutical IndustriesTeva Pharmaceutical Industries
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. , is an international pharmaceutical company headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel. It specializes in generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients...
's CEO, retired Major General Shlomo Yanai, was offered the job but turned it down. Of several other candidates, Pardo was the only one to have served in the Mossad. His choice may reflect a wish on the part of Prime Minister Netanyahu to signal continuity by choosing a candidate from within the ranks.
It was anticipated that Pardo would continue the work of his predecessor, Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
director Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan
Meir Dagan is a former Israel Defense Forces officer and former Director of the Mossad .-Biography:...
, in attempting to thwart any attempts by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to build a nuclear weapon.
On August 2, 2011, German news website Spiegel Online
Spiegel Online
Spiegel Online , the online version of German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, is one the most visited news websites written in the German language.- Company :...
published an article named "Mossad Behind Tehran Assassinations, Says Source", claiming receiving information from "an Israeli intelligence source", linking Mossad under Tamir Pardo as its chief to the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Darioush Rezaeinejad
Darioush Rezaeinejad
Darioush Rezaeinejad was an Iranian shot dead in east Tehran by gunmen in July 2011 while he and his wife waited for their child outside a kindergarten...
in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
on July 23. 2011. The report was reprinted by several news agencies, yet without providing additional sources to confirm the information.
Secrecy
Israel has a custom of secrecy regarding the identity of intelligence officers (aside from Mossad chief, also only in recent years) and Pardo was known as "T." until his promotion was made official. HaaretzHaaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
, in an editorial after the appointment was announced, wrote:
- It [Mossad] answers exclusively to the prime minister, and the identity of its head only became public after his appointment. This does not allow for sufficient public oversight - neither on the process of the appointment, nor on his performance. This must also be addressed during the changeover.