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‘I need to be prime minister’, says former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen

The former Netanyahu aide has been rumoured to be creating a new political party

September 2, 2025 09:51
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Yossi Cohen on the Yasmin Lukatz Podcast, where he spoke about his political aspirations (Image: YouTube/ Yasmin Lukatz Podcast)
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The former head of Mossad and Netanyahu aide, Yossi Cohen, told an Israeli podcast last week that he “needed” to be prime minister. 

Speaking to Israeli entrepreneur Yasmin Lukatz on her eponymous show, Cohen said: “The public is pushing hard, and for real change to happen,” adding: “From your window, you see all the people standing in traffic jams, suffering from lack of security, lack of unity, terrible overcrowding, and the high cost of living.”

Cohen joined Mossad in 1982, rising to become deputy director, before moving to head the National Security Council. He was national security adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu in 2013, and returned to Mossad as director in 2016. 

This is not the first time Cohen has spoken of his political ambitions. Earlier this year, Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that he was considering creating a new political party to run in the next election.

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