Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to remove Ronen Bar as head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency and will seek cabinet approval for the move this week, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Why it matters: No government has ever fired the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's most powerful security agency. Netanyahu's decision comes as the agency is investigating two of his advisers for allegedly receiving payments from Qatar during the Israel-Hamas war.

• Netanyahu's long-expected move has raised concerns among his political foes that he will replace Bar with a loyalist, politicize the organization, and potentially weaponize it against his political opponents and critics, or to crack down on the protest movement against him.
• Bar responded to the news by denouncing Netanyahu's "expectation for personal loyalty to him" which he said violated both the public interest and the laws and values under which his agency operates.

The big picture: While the prime minister appoints the Shin Bet chief, and the cabinet approves the pick, the agency has long been seen as apolitical. Its mandate includes safeguarding Israel's democratic institutions.

• Netanyahu is on trial in three cases of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
• He has also started taking steps to fire the attorney general tasked with prosecuting those cases.
• Netanyahu's aides have said he was inspired by President Trump's purging of "the deep state" and his decision to appoint loyalists to all key posts.

Behind the scenes: Netanyahu has been pressing Bar for several weeks to resign. Bar refused and told Netanyahu he can fire him if he wants to, an Israeli official tells Axios.

• Netanyahu's loyalists in the Israeli press and on social media have been publicly attacking Bar, who spent two decades in the Shin Bet before being appointed director in 2021.
• Netanyahu's allies have claimed the intel chief is working to undermine the PM for political reasons.
• In his statement, Bar said he'd told Netanyahu he had "several sensitive investigations" to complete, as well as getting Israel's remaining hostages out, before offering the prime minister his resignation and offering two internal candidates to succeed him. He said he still intends to complete those tasks before stepping down.

Driving the news: Several weeks ago, with the approval of the attorney general, the Shin Bet opened an investigation into three of Netanyahu's advisers for their alleged contacts with Qatar.

• The investigation, dubbed "Qatar-Gate" in the Israeli press, focused on alleged payments Netanyahu's advisers facilitated and received from Qatar in return for working on improving the image of the country in Israel.
• Qatar is one of the key mediators in the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal. But Netanyahu's decision in 2018 to ask Qatar to transfer money to Hamas in Gaza for humanitarian purposes became one of the main points of criticism against him after the Oct. 7 attack.
• The Shin Bet determined a portion of that money went to Hamas' military build-up.

Between the lines: Bar and Netanyahu both came under criticism for the intelligence failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to take place.

• Bar has taken responsibility in public and private for the failures and called for a national commission of inquiry.
• Netanyahu has blocked the formation of such a commission, arguing it would be "politically slanted," and has refused to take any responsibility.
• Bar had indicated that he would resign once all of Israel's hostages were returned from Gaza, and had played a key role in hostage negotiations until last month, when Netanyahu froze him out of the talks.

What they're saying: In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu claimed he is moving to dismiss the Shin Bet director because of "ongoing and growing lack of trust."

• "I believe this step is critical for rehabilitating the organization, achieving the objectives of the war and preventing the next catastrophe," Netanyahu said.

The latest: Israel's attorney general advised Netanyahu in a letter on Sunday that he can't fire Bar because "there is a concern this decision is illegal and suffers from a conflict of interests."

• Netanyahu and his cabinet are likely to disregard that objection, though the decision could ultimately come before the Supreme Court.

Flashback: While Bar would be the first Shin Bet chief to be fired, two previous leaders resigned, including the agency's chief at the time of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday his decision to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, citing a lack of trust between them, Anadolu has reported.

“At all times, and especially during an existential war like this, there must be complete trust between the prime minister and the head of Shin Bet,” said Netanyahu. “Unfortunately, the opposite is true; I no longer have that trust.”

Tensions between Netanyahu and the domestic security service escalated in recent days following Shin Bet’s internal investigation into the 7 October 2023 Hamas cross-border incursion. Netanyahu dismissed the report’s findings, saying that they failed to answer key questions.

The findings prompted opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz to demand an apology from Netanyahu. They accused him of deflecting blame.

READ: Conflict escalates between Netanyahu, Shin Bet chief due to 7 October defeat

Shin Bet acknowledged its failure to assess Hamas’ capabilities before the attack, but said that Netanyahu’s policies were also among the underlying causes.

The prime minister argued that Bar’s sacking was critical to achieving “war goals and total victory” in Gaza. The government will review the proposal on Wednesday, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

While several military and intelligence officials have resigned, taking partial responsibility for the failures of 7 October, Netanyahu has refused to accept any responsibility and has dismissed opposition calls for his government’s resignation and an early election.

Earlier on Sunday, police summoned former Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman for questioning after Netanyahu filed a complaint against him, reported Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

In an interview on Thursday, Argaman threatened to reveal sensitive information from his meetings with Netanyahu if the prime minister acted unlawfully. “We must end the war in Gaza immediately and bring back all the prisoners,” he said. “There is nothing in Gaza that justifies staying there.”

The next day, Netanyahu filed a complaint with Police Commissioner Daniel Levy. “I am asking you to open an immediate investigation, as all red lines have been crossed,” said the Israeli leader. “The former head of the Shin Bet chose to threaten and blackmail a sitting prime minister, using the methods of organised crime gangs, as if he were a mafia leader rather than a former Israeli security official.”

According to Netanyahu, “This crime is part of a broader campaign of blackmail and threats led by the current head of the Shin Bet [Ronen Bar], whose goal is to prevent me from making the necessary decisions to reform the Shin Bet after its disastrous failure on 7 October, 2023.”

In its response, Shin Bet called Netanyahu’s accusations “serious” and stressed that, “Ronen Bar dedicated all his time and efforts to safeguarding national security, working to bring back Israeli captives, and defending democracy.” The security service added that any other claims were baseless.

READ: Hamas deceived us, ex-Israel chief of staff says

President Trump signed an executive order over the weekend gutting the federal agency that oversees the Voice of America, the news outlet that for more than 80 years broadcast news and information into countries where independent reporting is restricted or censored.

Hours after Trump signed an executive order Friday directing the elimination of the US Agency for Global Media, numerous journalists, executives and staff at the organization’s Washington headquarters were notified that they were being placed on paid leave, according to National Public Radio.

The White House on Saturday put out a press release titled “The Voice of Radical America,” which cited several claims accusing VOA of displaying “a leftist bias aligned with partisan national media.”

Staff members reported promptly losing access to their work emails and internal communication systems.

Over 1,000 full-time employees from Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which operates Radio and Television Martí, were impacted.

As of Saturday, VOA radio broadcasts heard in Asia and the Middle East either went silent or aired just music, according to the New York Times.

The White House defended the decision by pointing to past criticisms of VOA’s reporting, which had been described as propaganda, arguing that government-funded media organizations like VOA are no longer relevant.

Echoing this viewpoint, Elon Musk, the Tesla chief who runs the Department of Government Efficiency, said of VOA: “Nobody listens to them anymore.”

A White House “rapid response” account on X cited two stories as justification for why “US taxpayers shouldn’t be funding” the VOA, including one with a headline detailing how VOA told its reporters not to refer to Hamas as “terrorists.”

The other story was a headline from a VOA article titled: “What is ‘White Privilege’ and Whom Does it Help?”

Kari Lake, the former newscaster-turned-politician who twice ran unsuccessfully for office in Arizona as a Republican, was appointed by Trump to oversee VOA. She recently described its parent organization, USAGM, as beyond reform.

VOA, which is based in Washington, DC, traditionally produces news programs that reach millions globally via a network of affiliates.

Furthermore, many international stations that previously relied on VOA content will continue airing without any input from US-based journalists.

Some of these networks began carrying news from state-controlled media from countries such as Russia and China — nations whose narratives VOA had historically counterbalanced.

“They have pulled the plug operationally,” David Z. Seide, an attorney with the Government Accountability Project who represents several VOA journalists, told the Times.

Seide is weighing potential legal action to restore the affected employees.

Echoing this sentiment, the American Foreign Service Association pledged “a vigorous defense” of its VOA members.

VOA began broadcasting in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda and continued through the Cold War as a vital tool against Soviet disinformation.

Until this abrupt interruption, VOA reached hundreds of millions of listeners worldwide, including in repressive regimes such as Iran and China.

VOA’s charter explicitly protects its editorial independence, mandating balanced reporting free from political interference.

“To effectively shutter the Voice of America is to dim a beacon that burned bright during some of the darkest hours since 1942,” VOA correspondent Steven Herman, who was placed on administrative leave earlier this month over an X post deemed to be critical of Trump, wrote on social media.

The shutdown also affects sister networks such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and others serving over 420 million people weekly.

Steve Capus, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said ending their grants would be “a massive gift to America’s enemies.”

This move has drawn criticism from Trump’s own party.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), former Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized the networks’ critical role in countering foreign propaganda, especially in authoritarian regimes.

“That’s why I strongly support many of its programs,” McCaul told NPR.

“Programs like [Radio Free Asia] provide day-to-day updates on far-off regions, uphold a free press even in authoritarian countries, and ensure Americans — and people everywhere — are not subject to our adversaries’ propaganda.”

WASHINGTON — Special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff left Moscow on Friday without a cease-fire deal in hand after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected President Trump’s terms to begin winding down the war with Ukraine.

Putin met with Witkoff late Thursday after having kept the American waiting since roughly 12:30 p.m., according to flight tracking data and Russian reports, but ultimately sent him home with “signals” for Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters.

“A lot still needs to be done,” Peskov said of the cease-fire agreement, noting that Witkoff “presented additional information to the Russian side.”

Still, the 47th president remained optimistic.

“We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday morning.

Trump’s proposal was straightforward: Russia and Ukraine would halt all conflict for 30 days and conduct a prisoner exchange as signs of both parties’ commitments to finding a peaceful resolution.

The US would also restart sharing intelligence with and delivering aid to Kyiv.

But on Thursday, Putin demanded additional measures — a halt to the aid and intelligence-sharing, as well as forcing Ukraine not to train, reinforce or resupply its forces during the cease-fire — during remarks to the press.

Trump had responded Thursday it would be a “very disappointing moment for the world” if Putin did not agree to his cease-fire proposal.

“Putin’s attempts to introduce a new cease-fire agreement on terms that asymmetrically benefit Russia ignore Trump’s stated intention that the cease-fire set conditions for negotiations toward a more comprehensive peace agreement in the future,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest analysis.

“An agreement along the lines Putin appears to be offering would undermine the Trump administration’s stated objective of bringing about a sustainable peace in Ukraine, would reinforce Putin’s belief that Russia can militarily defeat Ukraine, and would incentivize Putin to resume military operations against Ukraine rather than making any concessions in formal negotiations to end the war.”

Trump appeared to offer Moscow another chance to show appetite for peace on Friday, saying on Truth Social that he “strongly recommended” that Putin not slay what he falsely claimed were “THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS COMPLETELY SURROUNDED BY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY, AND IN A VERY BAD AND VULNERABLE POSITION” in Russia’s Kursk region.“

“I have strongly requested to President Putin that their lives be spared,” Trump said. “This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II,” he said. “God bless them all!!!”

However, multiple US and Ukrainian officials and experts deny that Kyiv’s troops are in such a position, as their withdrawal from Kursk has been underway for more than a week.

“There is no evidence that is true,” Foundation for Defending Democracies’ John Hardie said. “There is no evidence Russia has captured “thousands” of Ukrainian troops during the withdrawal, and there is no evidence that “thousands” of Ukrainian troops are currently encircled.”

A Post reporter was on the Ukrainian side of the border from Kursk on March 5 when Kyiv’s troops began to withdraw from the Russian territory it had held for seven months prior. 

The Post first reported on March 7 that Ukraine would likely pull all its forces from the Russian territory within two weeks, citing a Ukrainian commander in Kursk.

“It seems as if most Ukrainian forces withdrew or are finalizing their fighting withdrawal,” said George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War. “Our team is not tracking significant Russian claims of Russian forces surrounding Ukrainian forces at scale, and certainly not by the thousands.”

Still, some amount of Ukrainian forces remain in the region fighting off Russian attacks as Kyiv retreats, according to Hardie. It is possible Trump was referring to them, but had the estimate total wrong.

“Some Ukrainian forces apparently remain at Sudzha’s western suburbs and in the Guyevo area,” Hardie said. “The situation is still a bit perilous given Russian efforts to sever their supply routes, but they’re not surrounded.”

Russian sources claimed to have retaken roughly 90% of Kursk as of Friday morning, Barros said, noting “we can verify they’ve seized at least 70% as of yesterday.”

“Available evidence from the battlefield does not indicate any encirclements,” he said.

In a winding speech given from the Department of Justice — a place not typically frequented by sitting presidents — President Trump blasted former officials and lawyers who investigated him, saying they turned the department into one of "injustice."

The remarks were billed as an address on law and order by the White House. Trump did announce a new advertising campaign to curb fentanyl use. But he spent the majority of his time on stage going after the "hacks and radicals" in the U.S. government who he said eroded trust.

"They weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people," Trump said.

Trump called out former Attorney General Merrick Garland, Marc Elias, a lawyer who worked against Trump's legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and Mark Pomerantz, a lawyer who investigated Trump's business practices, calling them "really bad people."

The president faced federal charges after he left office in 2021, including for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost — though the Justice Department dropped that case when Trump won reelection in November.

Trump's speech Friday comes as his administration has spent the last several weeks trying to reconfigure the Justice Department, including demoting attorneys who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and firing officials who investigated the president himself.

"We're turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization and surrender to violent criminals, and we're restoring fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law," Trump said to dozens of people gathered at the DOJ, including his Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Hands-off approach

Presidents typically have a more hands-off approach to the DOJ, in an effort to preserve the independence of the rule of law.

Trump was the first president to come to the Justice Department in person since President Barack Obama, who was there twice — once to talk about changes his administration was making to surveillance programs.

But Trump hasn't hesitated to talk about the Justice Department, and it came up repeatedly on the campaign trail as he railed against the federal charges against him; Trump said he would use the DOJ to go after people he sees as disloyal.

In his speech on Friday, Trump boasted that his administration stripped security clearances from others who have investigated him, including Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump has also revoked security clearance and intelligence briefings for former President Joe Biden.

Trump also went after the press, and said coverage of Judge Aileen Cannon should have been "illegal." Cannon, appointed by Trump, threw out the federal case that accused Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

"The case against me was bull**** and she correctly dismissed it," Trump said.

Trump said he has appointed "patriotic tough on crime warriors" to the DOJ. He said he would revive the 1033 program, which gives excess military equipment to state and local law enforcement.

Trump also said he will launch an anti-drug advertising campaign that shows the effects of fentanyl on the body.

"Everyone's vain. They don't want to lose their look. The look is so important. And I think when they see these things, they may say, you know what, I'm going to take a pass," he said.