Who was Eli Cohen? Israel recovers items of legendary spy, 60 years after his execution in Syria

Some 2,500 items, including personal belongings and documents, of famous Israeli spy, Eli Cohen, have been recovered by Israel from Syria. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office made the announcement on Sunday, which marks the 60th anniversary of Cohen’s execution in Damascus in May 1965.

According to the PM’s office, these items form the entirety of the Syrian records linked to Eli Cohen. He was one of Israel’s most famous spies who infiltrated the political echelon in Syria.

“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,” Netanyahu told Nadia Cohen, Eli Cohen’s wife, on Sunday in Jerusalem.

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Here is all you need to know about the spy and the operation.

Who was Eli Cohen?

Eli Cohen, an intelligence operative for Israel, carried out a deep-infiltration mission in Syria during the 1960s, an operation widely regarded as one of the most extraordinary instances of espionage in modern history.

Born in Egypt in 1924 to parents of Jewish faith, Cohen was expelled from the country at the end of the 1956 War, when Israel occupied the Sinai. He subsequently immigrated to Israel in 1957, according to the Jewish Virtual Library.

At 29, he offered to join the Israeli Intelligence Services but was turned down twice. However, he was placed in a reserve Israeli Air Force formation as a logistics clerk. He took up an accounting job later.

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However, in 1960, the Israeli intelligence was ready to take a look at him again. This was a time when tensions along the border with Syria were rising. Possessing knowledge of the Arabic language and a profound understanding of Middle Eastern culture, Cohen would be an asset.

At first, he turned down the opportunity. However, when he lost his accounting job and the intelligence approached him for the second time, he said yes.

He underwent extensive training, from high-speed evasive driving techniques to weapons use and sabotage. His most challenging task was to learn the intricate and unmistakable phonetic tune of Syrian Arabic, says the article on Jewish Virtual Library.

A new identity was created for Cohen. He was Kamal Amin Ta’abet (also called Tabas in some sources), who was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Syrian Muslim parents.

In early 1961, Chaim Herzog, chief of military intelligence, who later went on to become the president of Israel, signed the document authorising Cohen’s use as a spy.

Why was Eli Cohen sent to Syria?

Cohen posed as a wealthy Arab businessman returning from Argentina to invest in Syria under his new alias Ta’abet. He quickly gained access to Syria’s political and military elite through charm, generosity and patriotism, ultimately rising to become a top adviser to Syria’s defence minister. He provided invaluable intelligence to Israel, including details about military installations, troop movements and even future attack plans.

Cohen’s most renowned contribution to Israeli intelligence was the relay of detailed information concerning Syrian military fortifications situated on the Golan Heights . The exceptional precision of the intelligence he provided played a critical and instrumental role in Israel’s swift and decisive military victory during the Six-Day War of 1967.

However, in a tragic turn of events, Cohen’s cover was blown when Syrian counterintelligence detected unusual radio transmissions. He was caught sharing information with Israel in 1965. Following his arrest, he was subjected to torture and brought to trial. Despite numerous international appeals for clemency, Cohen was publicly executed by hanging in Damascus on May 18, 1965.

His remains have yet to be returned to Israel, where he is regarded as a national hero.

What belongings has the Israeli government brought back?

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared some of the 2,500 items from the Syrian archive relating to Eli Cohen with his widow.

The items include his passport, documents, recordings, photographs and materials gathered by Syrian intelligence following his capture in January 1965, handwritten correspondence to his family residing in Israel, photographic documentation of his activities during his operational mission in Syria and personal effects confiscated from his residence after his apprehension.

Furthermore, the collection features numerous personal belongings of Cohen, notably the keys to his apartment in Damascus, which were confiscated by Syrian intelligence at the time of his arrest.

Cohen’s original will, drafted just hours before he was hanged, was also recovered, reported the Times of Israel, quoting the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mossad Chief David Barnea indicated that the retrieval of the archive constitutes “another step in advancing the investigation to locate the burial place of our man in Damascus.” He further stated, “We will continue to work to locate and return all the missing, the fallen, and the kidnapped.”

The PMO attributed the success of the operation to decades-long efforts by the Mossad “to locate every piece of information about Eli Cohen in an attempt to shed light on his fate and burial place”, the report said.

Ahead of viewing the items, Nadia Cohen told Netanyahu that the most important thing was to bring back Cohen’s body. Netanyahu said Israel was continuing to work on locating Cohen’s body.

“Eli is an Israeli legend. He’s the greatest agent Israeli intelligence has had in the years the state has existed. There was no one like him,” Netanyahu said.

With inputs from AP