'The Unbelievable Spy': 61 years since the capture of Eli Cohen, Israel's man in Syria

In January 1965, a strange silence fell over the afluent district of Damascus. While the Syrian government operated advanced Soviet tracking equipment under complete "radio silence," rapid ticking sounds could be heard in one room. It was Eli Cohen, the man who crossed every possible boundary, in the midst of another broadcast to Israel.

The raid by Syrian security personnel on his apartment that month brought an end to one of the boldest espionage operations in modern history. Sixty-one years later, Cohen’s image still remains a cornerstone of the Israeli intelligence ethos.

From Alexandria to Bat Yam: The Rise of an Agent

Eli Cohen, son of Shaul Cohen, was born in 1924 in Alexandria, Egypt, at the heart of a Jewish community living under the growing shadow of Arab nationalism. Already in the 1950s he was involved in underground Zionist activities, an experience that shaped his mental resilience. In 1957 he immigrated to Israel, settled in Bat Yam, and worked as an accountant, but his fate was elsewhere. After being recruited to military intelligence, and later to the Mossad under the watchful eye of legendary intelligence chief Meir Amit, the process of his transformation into "Kamal Amin Thaabet" began. 

Cohen underwent intensive training: covert operations, coding, and above all – constructing a false identity as a wealthy Syrian merchant returning to his country from Argentina. In Buenos Aires he built his first network, mingling with Syrian exiles and supporters of the Ba'ath Party, and winning their trust with great skill and exceptional charisma.

"Kamal" conquers Damascus

At the beginning of 1962, Cohen arrived in Damascus. He settled into a luxurious apartment and began to lead a double and dizzying life. As "Kamal," he hosted extravagant parties where alcohol flowed freely, and along with it, the deepest secrets of the Syrian army. Senior officers and members of parliament saw him as a patriot and philanthropist, and did not suspect for a moment that the charming host in their midst was walking around with a drink in his hand, remembering every word, every unit deployment, and every political power struggle.

The information that Cohen conveyed was not only verbal. During his famous tours of the Golan Heights, he joined Syrian officers on the front lines. There, in an act of "concern for the soldiers," he suggested planting eucalyptus trees near the positions. These trees later became clear target markers during the Six-Day War for the Air Force and the IDF, who mapped the fortifications with deadly precision thanks to his reports.

The fateful tracking

The phenomenal success also carried with it an increasing risk. The Syrian intelligence, frustrated by the information leaks, began to rely on Soviet experts. Cohen, under pressure to provide ongoing information and probably also due to high self-confidence, continued to transmit at a high frequency. On January 24, 1965, the trap was shut.

Syrian security forces broke into his apartment while he was on air, holding the transmitter—the incriminating evidence that could not be denied.

Later testimonies suggest that his connections with suspicious figures, such as the middleman Majid Sheikh Al-Ard, may have aroused suspicion against him even before the tracking. Be that as it may, the end of "the unbelievable spy" began to take shape in the Syrian interrogation cellars, where he endured severe torture but stood his ground bravely.

The gallows and the bleeding wound

Despite an unprecedented international campaign, appeals from leaders of the Western and Arab worlds, and heavy diplomatic pressure from Israel, Syria refused to commute his sentence. On May 18, 1965, Eli Cohen was brought to the gallows in Marjeh Square in Damascus. In front of a crowd, wrapped in a sign detailing his "crimes," he was executed. Sixty-one years have passed, and Cohen's body has yet to be returned to Israel. The Syrian regime, throughout the generations, has maintained a firm and unyielding stance on the issue.

The secret operation in Sweida: The archive returns to Israel

One of the most remarkable full-circle moments in the affair was recently revealed by i24NEWS' Arab affairs commentator, Baruch Yedid. Last May, a helicopter landed in Sweida in southern Syria in a secret operation intended to collect the Syrian intelligence “treasure” on Eli Cohen. A Syrian source revealed in a conversation with i24NEWS that the transfer of the archive was a signal and gesture by the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to Israel and the U.S. While many wondered about the purpose of the mysterious landing, it became clear that the helicopter had arrived to collect around 2,500 documents, photographs, and personal items that had been kept for decades in the innermost sanctums of Syrian intelligence.

These materials arrived in Israel at a date close to the 60th anniversary of his execution, and they include recordings from the investigation files, handwritten letters from Cohen to his family, and even the original keys to his apartment in Damascus.

In an emotional meeting held last May, in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Chief Daviv Barnea, Cohen's personal effects were presented to his widow Nadia. One of the most chilling moments was the unveiling of the original will, which Eli wrote just hours before he ascended the gallows—a document that until now had only been seen in copies.

Among the many files, there was also a thick orange file bearing the name "Nadia Cohen." It turned out that Syrian intelligence had meticulously tracked every activity Nadia undertook to promote the release of her husband, including her letters to world leaders. "Eli Cohen is a legend," said Netanyahu at the presentation of the documents. "Bringing the archive expresses our unwavering commitment to bring all our missing persons back to Israel."

“We won’t wait 40 years”: The hope for Eli’s return

Alongside the return of the archive, reports are increasing that the return of Cohen's remains for burial in Israel is closer than ever. The Saudi newspaper "Al-Hadath" recently reported that the spy's remains may soon arrive in Israel, as part of the geopolitical changes in Syria.

Last year i24NEWS made public a recording of Netanyahu's meeting with families of Gaza hostages, prior to their release. In the recording, the PM is heard making the following promise: "We are working to bring back people we lost 40 years ago... Eli Cohen—we will bring him back too, but I don’t intend to wait 40 years."

The never-ending legacy

61 years after he was captured, Eli Cohen still manages to steer emotion in Israelis. The information he conveyed—from the locations of army bases in Quneitra to documentation with senior regime officials—remains a strategic asset. But now, the documents and personal effects that have returned add an intimate aspect to his persona.

Mossad chief Barnea summarized the ongoing effort: "The retrieval of the archive is another step in advancing the investigation to locate the burial place of our man in Damascus. We will continue to act until he is laid to eternal rest in a Jewish grave."

In recent years, the figure of Eli Cohen has experienced a cultural revival with series like The Spy, which aired on Netflix. However, for the intelligence community, he is much more than a cinematic character. He remains a symbol of the deepest intelligence penetration capability, but also a reminder of the heavy personal cost of covert activity. The intelligence he provided is still considered one of the main factors in Israel's swift victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, and his story continues to be studied as a mandatory chapter in the doctrine of covert warfare.

The story of Eli Cohen began in Alexandria, passed through the coffee houses of Damascus, and ended at the gallows in Marjeh Square. Now, with his personal documents already in Jerusalem, all that remains is to wait for the day when the warrior himself will also return to the land for which he sacrificed everything.