Yossi Cohen will be the next director of the Mossad, Israel’s famous intelligence agency which operates all around the world. He will replace Tamir Pardo, who has been directing the agency since the beginning of 2011.

The appointment was announced by Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s office shortly after 9:00 PM on Monday, December 7.

Cohen, 54, has been head of the National Security Council and the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister since August 2013, and is considered as one of Netanyahu’s closest and most trusted advisors.

He is a 30-year veteran of the Mossad who ran agents in a number of countries over the years as head of ‘Tzomet’ department, and served as its deputy director between 2011 and 2013. He won the prestigious Israel Security Prize for his work.

Cohen was born and raised in Jerusalem to a religious family that had been living in Israel for eight generations. He has a bachelors degree in political science from Bar Ilan University. He is married to Aya and has four children, one of which despite suffering from cerebral palsy, joined the IDF and even became an officer.