(JTA) — Nadav Argaman, the Shin Bet security agency’s deputy director, has been appointed to the No. 1 position in the Israeli security service.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that he had named Argaman to the job, the Times of Israel reported.

Assuming he is approved by the committee that oversees senior governmental appointments, Argaman, 55, will assume the post in May, replacing Yoram Cohen.

READ: At ex-Shin Bet head’s lecture in London, anti-Israel protesters get violent

In a statement, Netanyahu said Argaman “has a proven track record of commanding and operative experience at the Shin Bet. I am certain that under his command the Shin Bet will continue to grow stronger on the operative and technological fronts, and will continue to protect the security of Israel.”

Argaman’s appointment comes just a month after the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency, got a new head, Yossi Cohen.

Argaman joined the Shin Bet in 1983 and has served in a variety of roles there. He has been its deputy head since 2007, except for a year-long stint on Israel’s Committee on Atomic Energy.

In a statement, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that Argaman is “the right man to take the baton from Yoram Cohen and to lead the dedicated employees and the organization as a whole with determination and responsibility in this complex reality.”

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