Tel Aviv: Israel has a new Prime Minister as Yair Lapid officially took charge as the 14th leader of the state at midnight between Thursday and Friday.
The first item on his agenda is to meet with Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security agency, at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. He also has scheduled a meeting to discuss "the captives and MIAs", reported ANI.
The captives and MIAs refer to two Israeli men and the remains of two Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Lapid is also scheduled to take a trip to Paris and meet French President Emmanuel Macron on July 5. He is expected to convene the first weekly cabinet meeting of his premiership.
However, Lapid's term could be as short as the previous government's term as Israel's next election is scheduled to take place on November 1.
He told the outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that his government will do the best it can for a Jewish, democratic state, good, strong, and thriving. Because that is the job and it is bigger than all of us, reported The Times of Israel. He was speaking at the handover ceremony on Thursday afternoon.
Naftali Bennett is set to remain in the government as an alternate prime minister and hold responsibility for the country's Iran policy. He will not be participating in the next parliamentary elections.
US President Joe Biden congratulated Lapid for becoming the new Prime Minister. He tweeted: "Congratulations to Yair Lapid, Israel's new Prime Minister. And thank you to the alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for your friendship over the past year. I look forward to seeing you both in July to celebrate the unbreakable U.S.-Israel partnership".
Yair Lapid previously served as Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022. He was ranked first on the list of the "Most Influential Jews in the World" by The Jerusalem Post in 2013. Serving as the Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013-2014, he was recognised as one of the leading Foreign Policy Global Thinkers.