Zini's father is a rabbi of a community in Ashdod and the new Shin Bet head, who reportedly has 11 children, comes from a family of rabbis of Algerian descent.
The move comes despite a prohibition from the attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, and a ruling from the Supreme Court yesterday that the sacking of former director Ronen Bar was unlawful.
The firing was the culmination of a very public feud between Bar and Benjamin Netanyahu, including over who should shoulder more of the blame for the October 7 security failings.
In its ruling, the court ruled that the cabinet failed to follow the proper procedure to remove Bar and said the decision lacked “a factual basis” and was made “under a conflict of interest”.
The latter remark is understood to reference the fact that, as director of the agency, Bar was presiding over an investigation into allegations of Qatar-linked corruption relating to Netanyahu’s staff.
Zini has also left his role in the IDF following a meeting with chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
There had been reports that Zamir had dismissed Zini from his position after being surprised by the announcement, but the IDF has since clarified that he had resigned.
