Mossad recovers secret Syrian archive of legendary spy Eli Cohen

In a dramatic intelligence coup, Israel’s Mossad has retrieved the official Syrian archive of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen, the Prime Minister’s Office revealed Sunday.

The covert operation—carried out in cooperation with a foreign allied intelligence service—successfully brought to Israel around 2,500 previously unseen documents, photographs and personal items linked to Cohen, who was executed in Damascus in 1965 after infiltrating the highest ranks of the Syrian regime.

Timed just days before the 60th anniversary of his death, the haul includes Cohen’s original handwritten will, personal correspondence, and even the keys to his Damascus apartment—items that had been jealously guarded for decades by Syrian intelligence.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad chief David Barnea presented portions of the archive to Cohen’s widow, Nadia, in a private ceremony on Sunday. Among the most poignant recoveries: a thick orange intelligence file titled “Nadia Cohen,” which detailed the Syrian regime’s surveillance of her efforts to save her husband.

“Eli Cohen is a legend. He is revealed to be the greatest intelligence agent in our history,” said Netanyahu. “This archive will educate generations and stands as a testament to our commitment to bring every missing Israeli home.”

Cohen, working undercover in Damascus in the early 1960s, provided Israel with critical intelligence that helped shape its military strategy leading up to the Six-Day War. Captured in 1965, he was interrogated and sentenced to death by hanging in Damascus’s Al-Marjah Square.

The newly obtained archive includes interrogation transcripts, audio recordings, forged passports, operational diaries, and photographs of Cohen with senior Syrian officials. It also sheds new light on his missions, including surveillance of Syrian army bases in Quneitra.

Mossad chief Barnea called the recovery “a significant achievement of the highest moral value,” vowing continued efforts to locate Cohen’s final resting place.

In 2024, Israel reportedly appealed to Russian mediators to assist in locating Cohen’s remains, but the effort yielded no breakthrough.

Cohen’s story has become a symbol of sacrifice and espionage excellence in Israel—his legacy now bolstered by the unveiling of this historic trove.