Israel marks 60 years since Eli Cohen's public hanging by recovering spy's files from Syria; Here's what was brought back

Time of India

19-05-2025

FILE - Elie Cohen, far left, head of an Israeli spy ring, listens as he is sentenced to death by a special military court in Damascus, Syria, May 8, 1965. (AP Photo/LEB)
Sixty years after Israeli spy Eli Cohen was hanged in Damascus, Israel has recovered 2,500 personal and intelligence items held by Syria's security services. The documents, photographs, and belongings—retrieved in a secret Mossad operation—offer a rare glimpse into Cohen's espionage career and the circumstances leading to his execution in 1965. The items were presented to Cohen's widow during a ceremony marking the anniversary of his death. His body remains missing, but Israel vows to continue searching.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Worn folders, keys, and a widow's plea
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
The spy who shaped a war
Still searching for a grave
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Eli Cohen: Legacy of a spy
Israel has retrieved the entire Syrian intelligence archive on its most celebrated spy, Eli Cohen , 60 years after he was executed in public in Damascus . The trove includes around 2,500 documents, photographs, handwritten letters, forged passports, and personal effects seized by Syrian intelligence after his arrest in 1965.'In a complex covert operation by the Mossad , in cooperation with a strategic partner service, the official Syrian archive on Eli Cohen was brought to Israel,' said the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, as reported by AP.The announcement was timed with a ceremony commemorating six decades since Cohen's hanging. Speaking at the event in Jerusalem, Netanyahu and Mossad director David Barnea presented the recovered items to Cohen's widow, Nadia Cohen.Among the items were Cohen's original will, written shortly before his death, and letters he had penned to his family while operating undercover in Syria. Also returned were surveillance photos, instructions from Mossad, and a letter authorising Rabbi Nissim Andabo to spend Cohen's final hours with him.The recovered material provides a deeply human view of the man behind the mission. Keys to his Damascus apartment—taken by Syrian intelligence during his arrest—were among the items presented. So were the false identity documents he used to infiltrate the Syrian elite under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet.Suitcases delivered to Israel contained worn folders stuffed with handwritten notes. These included directives from Mossad, surveillance reports, and maps detailing Syrian military sites, particularly in Quneitra.A bright orange folder marked 'Nadia Cohen' contained years of efforts by his widow to secure his release. It included her personal appeals to world leaders and the Syrian president, begging for intervention.Cohen, born in Egypt, became one of Israel's most successful intelligence operatives. He joined Mossad in the early 1960s and managed to deeply embed himself in Syrian society. Over four years, he rose to the position of adviser to the Syrian defence minister.The intelligence he passed to Israel played a pivotal role in the country's swift victory in the 1967 Six Day War , especially in the capture of the Golan Heights.But in January 1965, Syrian counterintelligence caught Cohen transmitting radio messages. He was tried and hanged in Marjeh Square on 18 May 1965. His body has never been returned, despite repeated attempts by Israel.Netanyahu told Nadia Cohen during the ceremony: 'We conducted a special operation by the Mossad, by the State of Israel, to bring his (Eli Cohen's) archive, which had been in the safes of the Syrian intelligence for 60 years.'He added, 'Eli is an Israeli legend. He's the greatest agent Israeli intelligence has had in the years the state existed. There was no one like him.'Despite this significant recovery, the mission is not over. Nadia Cohen told Netanyahu that what matters most is bringing her husband's remains back to Israel.The Prime Minister promised, 'We are continuing to work on locating Cohen's body.'Just last week, Israel recovered the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, an Israeli soldier missing since the 1982 Lebanon War. He was found 'in the heart of Syria' through a separate special operation.Barnea called the archive recovery 'another step in advancing the investigation to locate the burial place of our man in Damascus.''We will continue to work to locate and return all the missing, the fallen and the kidnapped,' he said.Eli Cohen's story continues to hold national significance. The spy's life was dramatized in Netflix's The Spy, starring British actor Sacha Baron Cohen. But beyond entertainment, his legacy is deeply rooted in Israel's intelligence history.Netanyahu said the recovered archive 'will educate generations, and expresses our tireless commitment to returning all of our missing persons, prisoners of war and hostages.'The Mossad, too, described the mission as 'historic,' the result of years of painstaking intelligence work to gather every last detail about Cohen's fate.Though the operation has brought home his letters, notes, and even his house keys, the search for Eli Cohen's final resting place goes on.(With inputs from AP)