The head of Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, Ronen Bar, has resigned after 35 years of service, Reuters reported.
He announced this on April 28, specifying that he would step down on June 15 to allow for a smooth process for appointing his successor.
We recall that in March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to fire Ronen Bar, which sparked public outrage and the process was halted by the Supreme Court after NGOs and opposition lawmakers challenged it as illegal and a conflict of interest.
For his part, in written testimony before the Supreme Court of Israel, Barr said Netanyahu attempted to fire him after he refused to comply with demands related to illegal surveillance of anti-government protesters and obstruction of the corruption trial of the prime minister himself.
Barr said Netanyahu's decision was not dictated by professional considerations, but by "unfulfilled expectations of personal loyalty." The prime minister's office responded that the allegations were false.