Top Mossad Commander Quits Over Dispute With Agency's Chief, Report Says

The commander of the Mossad division in charge of special operations has resigned over differences of opinion between him and David Barnea, head of the agency since last year, Channel 13 News reported on Sunday.

The commander, who was identified in the report by the initial B., reportedly resigned after a meeting in which Barnea told B. that he and other senior officials under him had become a “burden on the organization."

According to the report, Barnea wanted to make major changes to how the department headed by B. works because of difficulties in operating Israeli agents abroad, and B. did not implement them as requested.

After the meeting between the two and B.’s resignation, his deputy and a number of agents also resigned. A new commander has meanwhile assumed the role.

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B. is the fourth senior Mossad official to resign since Barnea took charge some seven months ago. The heads of the Mossad's technology, anti-terror and Tzomet divisions also left. Tzomet is the division responsible for locating, recruiting and handling foreign agents.