Israel Recovers Syrian Intelligence Archive on Mossad Spy Eli Cohen
“This archive includes thousands of materials safeguarded by Syrian intelligence for decades,” the statement said, adding that the retrieval reflects “Israel’s unwavering commitment to recovering all its missing persons, captives, and hostages.”
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Israeli government announced Sunday the recovery of what it described as the “official Syrian archive” related to Mossad agent Eli Cohen.The operation, carried out by Mossad in coordination with a foreign intelligence partner, yielded more than 2,500 documents, photographs, and personal items that had been held for decades under tight Syrian security.
According to a statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the archive was retrieved through a “complex and clandestine operation”, highlighting what it termed “years of unwavering intelligence, technical, and operational efforts.”
“This archive includes thousands of materials safeguarded by Syrian intelligence for decades,” the statement said, adding that the retrieval reflects “Israel’s unwavering commitment to recovering all its missing persons, captives, and hostages.”
Eli Cohen’s Legacy Revisited
Eli Cohen, who operated undercover in Syria for four years in the early 1960s, forged close ties with high-ranking Syrian political and military officials before being discovered by Syrian intelligence. He was executed publicly in Marjeh Square in Damascus on May 18, 1965.
“He is a legend,” Netanyahu’s office declared. “With time, he emerges as the greatest agent in the state’s history.”
Among the recovered items are Cohen’s handwritten final will, audio recordings of his interrogation, letters to his family in Israel, and photographs taken during his intelligence mission in Syria. Also retrieved were forged passports, high-level meeting images, personal diaries, and Mossad mission notebooks.
Search for Burial Site Continues
Mossad Chief David Barnea described the retrieval as “a major accomplishment that reflects the highest moral values,” and “a step closer to discovering Cohen’s burial place in Damascus.”
The operation also uncovered a file titled “Nadia Cohen,” which documents Syrian intelligence surveillance of Cohen’s wife and her campaign to secure his release. The archive was presented to her during a private meeting with Netanyahu and Barnea on Sunday.
Renewed Israeli Operations in Syria
This marks the second secret operation Israel has publicized in Syria since opposition factions ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8.
On May 11, Israel confirmed the recovery of the remains of a soldier killed during the 1982 Lebanon war through a “special operation in deep Syrian territory.” In the immediate aftermath of Assad’s fall, a Palestinian official in Syria told AFP that Israel had been using intermediaries to locate Cohen’s remains and those of other missing Israeli soldiers.
Israel had previously retrieved Cohen’s wristwatch in 2018 through what it described as a “special operation conducted in a hostile country.” At the time, reports emerged of negotiations between Israel and Russia, Assad’s primary backer, concerning the repatriation of Cohen’s other personal belongings—and possibly his remains.
