Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his decision to appoint Brigadier General Gai Mariziano as the new military secretary to the Prime Minister of Israel, noting that he informed the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff of the decision.
Notably, the selection bore the imprint of Sara Netanyahu, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister, as Mariziano was chosen for the new position after a special interview with her, as reported by the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Mariziano, who was promoted to the rank of major general following the recent decision, will replace Major General Roman Gofman, whom Netanyahu had earlier appointed as head of the Mossad foreign intelligence service.
Brigadier General Mariziano's last position was military secretary to the Defense Minister, and the newspaper indicates that he has extensive experience in coordination between the political and military levels, which exempts him from the transitional period that Netanyahu claims he should not undergo anyway.
The newspaper reported that before the official announcement, it was unclear whom Netanyahu would choose for this position, which requires a transitional period due to the major tasks assigned to the military secretary.
The military secretary to the Prime Minister must possess special qualifications: first, he must be an officer with the rank of major general, and he undertakes multiple tasks, including official coordination between the Prime Minister and the Israeli army and other security agencies.
The military secretary is also responsible for transmitting the Prime Minister's instructions, examining intelligence information and referring it to him; coordinating security discussions with the head of the National Security Council; representing the Prime Minister in security forums; and carrying out special tasks on his behalf.
