John Bowd has moved from his role as assistant editor to that of foreign editor at The Independent.

Bowd replaces Alastair Dawber, who will become the paper's Jerusalem correspondent. Dawber will also be writing for the Independent on Sunday and The Evening Standard.

Dawber, who had been on the foreign desk for more than two years and spent the last year as foreign editor, can be reached at a.dawber@independent.co.uk or via twitter @AlistairDawber.

Bowd said: “I feel greatly honoured to have been appointed and I hope to continue the superb work of my predecessors. The Independent has a formidable team of foreign correspondents, from the legendary Robert Fisk to long standing and respected correspondents such as Patrick Cockburn, John Lichfield in Paris, David Usborne in New York and Kim Sengupta covering conflict all over the world. I hope to strengthen our coverage even more in the months ahead.”

Dawber adds; “This is an exciting and challenging time to be arriving in the Middle East, where the situation is more dynamic and as precarious as it has been in decades.”