Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sacked the head of the country’s domestic intelligence service after three days of protests against the move.
Mr Netanyahu said this week he had lost confidence in Ronen Bar, who has led Shin Bet since 2021, and intended to dismiss him.
In a letter sent to ministers in the Israeli cabinet, Mr Bar said the process around his firing did not comply with rules and his dismissal was predicated on baseless claims.
Mr Bar wrote that the decision to fire him was "entirely tainted by ... conflicts of interest" and driven by "completely different, extraneous and fundamentally unacceptable motives".
Police fired water cannon and made numerous arrests as scuffles broke out during protests in Tel Aviv on Thursday.
Dozens of protesters tried to break through security cordons close to the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem, police said.
The decision followed months of tension between Mr Bar and Mr Netanyahu over a corruption investigation into claims that a number of aides in Mr Netanyahu's office were offered bribes by figures connected with Qatar.
Mr Netanyahu has dismissed the accusation as a politically motivated attempt to unseat him.
In a video announcing the decision to dismiss Mr Bar, the Israeli PM cited an "ongoing distrust" between the two men which he said had "grown over time”.
Mr Netanyahu’s critics have accused him of undermining the institutions underpinning Israel's democracy by seeking Bar's removal.
The move comes days after Israel resumed bombing and ground operations in Gaza, ending a fragile two-month ceasefire in the enclave.
At least 91 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday, the enclave's health ministry said.
