Mossad Retrieves Classified Files, Items of Eli Cohen, the Legendary Spy Executed in Syria

Mossad Retrieves Classified Files, Items of Eli Cohen, the Legendary Spy Executed in Syria

Sixty years to the day when Israeli hero Eli Cohen was executed by the Syrian regime in Damascus, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad has retrieved thousands of documents, recordings, photographs, and personal items belonging to him.

“In a covert and complex Mossad operation, in cooperation with an allied foreign intelligence service, the official Syrian archive on Eli Cohen with thousands of findings that were held for decades by the Syrian security forces in a highly compartmentalized manner – have been brought to Israel,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday. “The special archive includes approximately 2,500 original documents, photographs and personal items, most of which have been revealed for the first time.”

🚨BREAKING: In a covert operation, the Mossad has successfully recovered the Syrian archive on Eli Cohen, which contains a trove of classified documents, personal effects, and photos. In the 1960s, Cohen posed as a wealthy Arab businessman, infiltrating the highest levels of… pic.twitter.com/rVVRAk1ciN

— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) May 18, 2025

Eli Cohen, the legendary spy referred to by the Mossad as “our man in Damascus,” made his way into influential Syrian political and military circles in the early 1960s. Cohen, an Israeli with Syrian Jewish parents, provided critical intelligence to the Israeli armed forces from 1961 to 1965.

Ahead of the Six-Day War of 1967, Cohen passed on valuable information on Syria’s military build-up in the Golan Heights.

“Eli’s connections enabled him to be taken to the Golan Heights – a major strategic asset for Syria from 1948-67. As we saw, the Syrians continually harassed Israel’s northern settlements from 1948-67. The Golan Heights defenses were top-secret and closed only to top military staff,” the Jewish Virtual Library wrote. “When the Golan was captured in 1967, at almost the end of the Six-Day War (…) much of the credit for Israel’s ability to capture the Golan was due to Eli Cohen, Israel’s greatest spy.”

On May 18, 1965, Cohen was publicly hanged in Damascus’s Al-Marjeh, the ironically named ‘Martyrs’ Square.’ He was only 40 years old at the time of his execution, leaving behind his wife, Nadia, and three children in Israel.

🚨Heartbreaking…From Eli Cohen's letter to his wife Nadia:
To my dear wife Nadia and my family, I am writing you my last words and asking you to always maintain contact between you. I ask you, Nadia, to forgive me and to take care of yourself and the children. Take care of… https://t.co/zPGTQPcsal pic.twitter.com/KOApexwcyq

— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) May 18, 2025

Mossad secured these highly classified items five months after Iran-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country, ending 50 years of tyrannical family rule. “According to the Mossad, Syria had kept the files in a highly secret and secure location, and it took time for the Mossad to locate and plan to take the files even after the Assad regime collapsed on December 7-8,” the Jerusalem Post revealed.

In a covert and complex Mossad operation, in cooperation with an allied foreign intelligence service, the official Syrian archive on Eli Cohen with thousands of findings that were held for decades by the Syrian security forces have been brought to Israelhttps://t.co/ioQO9peuS3 pic.twitter.com/F8mG3QNlY8

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 18, 2025

Israeli news website Arutz Sheva detailed the items secured by Mossad:

Among the items was Cohen’s original will, written hours before his death, as well as personal belongings that were seized from his home following his arrest.

The archive included 2,500 items, including documents, recordings, photos, personal letters, and journals. Many of the items were revealed to the public for the first time and constitute a detailed account of Cohen’s activities and his interrogation by Syrian intelligence.

Among the items are the keys to Cohen’s apartment in Damascus, forged identification documents which he used, and many photos from the time of his intelligence activities, including documentation of him with senior Syrian military and government officials.

Journals that were taken from his home include documentation of his Mossad tasks, including surveillance and the collection of intelligence on Syrian military bases.

Among the other documents, agents found an original copy of his court sentence, which included the decision to allow the head of the local Jewish community, Rabbi Nissim Indibo, to accompany Cohen per the Jewish tradition.

In addition, agents found a numbered portfolio titled “Nadia Cohen” with documentation of her efforts to free her husband, including dozens of letters she sent to world leaders and the Syrian president.

PM Netanyahu and Mossad Chief Barnea with Nadia Cohen, the widow of Eli Cohen Z”L HYD after a Mossad operation brought back his documents and last letter to Nadia. pic.twitter.com/7U3LosQblk

— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) May 18, 2025

The documents were unveiled in the presence of Cohen’s widow, Nadia Cohen, at a meeting attended by Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. “During a special meeting held Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Director Dadi Barnea, Eli Cohen’s widow, Nadia Cohen, was presented with several original documents and personal belongings recovered from Syria,” the Israel Hayom newspaper reported.

Search for Eli Cohen’s remains continue

Media reports suggest that Mossad is trying to locate Cohen’s grave in efforts to being back the remains of one of Israel’s greatest heroes. “In December, the Hezbollah-aligned Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Israel had made contact with sources in Syria and the region in a bid to locate Cohen’s grave. Israeli officials have long hoped that a future shift in Syria’s political landscape could lead to a breakthrough,” the Israeli media outlet Ynetnews reported.

Last week, Israel announced the recovery of the body of Tzvika Feldman, an IDF officer who fell in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub (Lebanon) 43 years ago. Feldman’s remains were retrieved in a daring operation deep inside Syria conducted by the Israeli military and Mossad.

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