Photo of Eli Cohen, (Israel GPO)
Israel is reportedly working with Russian mediators to find the remains of Eli Cohen, a Mossad spy who was executed in Damascus for sending military secrets to Israel.
The Spy Who Fooled Syria: Eli Cohen’s Daring Espionage
Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1924 to a Jewish family. After facing anti-Semitism, his family left Egypt for Israel, but Cohen stayed to finish his degree. He was later expelled from Egypt in 1956 and joined Israeli military intelligence. Although Mossad initially rejected him, he was recruited in 1960 for a special mission.
This photo shows Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria wearing a wristwatch recovered by the Mossad in 2018. (PMO)
Cohen pretended to be a Syrian businessman, Kamel Amin Thaabet, who had lived in Argentina. He moved to Buenos Aires to build connections with the Syrian expatriate community, befriending Amin al-Hafaz, who later became Syria’s president.
In 1962, Cohen moved to Damascus, where he infiltrated the highest levels of Syrian society. He hosted parties for officials, where he collected intelligence while pretending to be drunk. His information helped Israel in many ways, such as securing the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Cohen also identified Nazi war criminals hiding in Syria and even attempted to assassinate one of them with a letter bomb.
In 1965, Syrian counterintelligence discovered his radio transmissions with Israel. Cohen was arrested, tortured, and publicly hanged in Damascus. Despite international pleas for clemency, his body was not returned to Israel, and efforts to recover his remains continue.
Cohen’s intelligence was vital for Israel. For example, he suggested planting trees to provide shade for soldiers, which also helped Israel identify Syrian military positions. His contributions are credited with saving many Israeli lives.
Cohen’s story inspired the Netflix series The Spy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen.
Screen shot from Netflix (YouTube)
However, his daughter Sofia Ben-Dor criticized the series, saying it portrayed him inaccurately as insecure and reckless, while he was actually confident and respected