Are Arabs Prepared to Face the Influence of Eli Cohen?
On the 60th anniversary of his execution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a significant development in the ongoing saga of Mossad agent Eli Cohen. This news comes amid increasing pressure on Netanyahu from political adversaries who are critical of his administration’s handling of the situation in Gaza. The key highlight was the alleged recovery of 2,500 documents related to Cohen’s espionage activities, which Netanyahu attributed to a “secret and complex operation” executed in collaboration with a strategic intelligence partner. This operation reportedly involved the transfer of official Syrian archives concerning Eli Cohen to Israel.
Eli Cohen, who infiltrated Syria under the alias Kamel Amin Thabet, posed as a businessman and claimed ties to a Syrian family that had emigrated to Latin America. Despite the Golan Heights being a restricted military zone during this period, Cohen managed to gain access at least three times with the approval of the Syrian Chief of Staff.
Following the June 1967 war, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol acknowledged the vital intelligence Cohen provided, stating, “Had it not been for the information Cohen provided, the army would have had to recruit a larger number of brigades to fight in the Golan Heights.” Cohen’s extensive connections with high-ranking officials ultimately led to his discovery and execution on May 18, 1965, in Marjeh Square, Damascus.
According to reports from iNews 24, Netanyahu and Mossad Chief David Barnea reviewed the recovered documents, which included Cohen’s original will written just hours before his execution. The Hebrew channel noted that this archive transfer marked the culmination of decades of efforts by Mossad personnel, involving intelligence, operations, and technology specialists, in conjunction with global intelligence partners.
The recovered documents encompass:
- Forged passports
- Operational documents utilized by Cohen
- Numerous telegrams from Mossad, including directives to monitor Syrian military bases in Quneitra
Syrian sources revealed that these documents had been stored in the archives of the former Syrian regime’s National Security Headquarters. Notably, this headquarters was not raided during the initial days following the fall of Damascus, suggesting that the documents did not reach Israel through standard channels. This is particularly relevant under Syria’s de facto ruler, al-Julani, who appears to be willing to engage with Israeli interests.
Strategic analysts have suggested that the Mossad’s acquisition of the Cohen archive is linked to ongoing discussions between Tel Aviv and Damascus on various issues. Channel 12 reported that Major General Oded Bassiouk, head of the Israeli Offensive Forces’ Operations Directorate, recently met with representatives of the new Syrian government in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, the channel confirmed that additional meetings are taking place in the UAE aimed at formalizing a normalization agreement, facilitated by Qatar.
Shortly after the fall of Damascus, diplomatic sources indicated that Israel commenced investigations to locate Cohen, as well as the remains of one of three soldiers missing from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the 1982 invasion. It is worth noting that Russia previously returned two of the bodies to Israel.
In addition, sources revealed Israel’s interest in recovering a collection of ancient Torah scrolls and other significant artifacts from Syria. A report by Walla detailed that in January 1962, Cohen traveled from Italy to Beirut, where he met a CIA agent named Majdi Sheikh al-Ard, who facilitated his entry into Syria. In Syria, Cohen rented a house directly across from the Syrian General Staff headquarters.
Cohen, born in December 1924 in Alexandria to a Jewish family from Aleppo, became involved with the Zionist movement in Egypt before relocating to the occupied Palestinian territories in 1957. He was recruited into the Caesarea Special Forces Unit, where he underwent rigorous training that included learning the Islamic faith and the Syrian dialect. In 1961, Cohen was sent to Argentina under a French passport, adopting the identity of a Syrian businessman seeking to return home and strengthening his connections within the Syrian community.
In September 2023, Yedioth Ahronoth published a report titled “Mossad Children Speak Out About Life Under Lies,” which featured the perspectives of spies’ children. These narratives challenged the glorified portrayal of spies as “superheroes.” Cohen’s daughter, Sophie, emphasized that they “paid a heavy psychological and material price” for their roles. The documentary also included insights from the son of Israeli spy Shulamit Kishk Cohen, who recounted his mother’s psychological struggles after her return to the occupied territories.
Shulamit Kishik Cohen was known for cultivating relationships with Lebanese and Arab politicians from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. She created an art and music salon in Beirut, employing women to gather critical secrets from her guests for the Haganah. After her cover was blown, she received a death sentence, later commuted to a 20-year prison term, and was released as part of a prisoner exchange following the 1967 War, becoming a legend within Mossad.
In the past, Libyan newspapers reported the arrest of a Mossad agent named Benjamin Ephraim, who had infiltrated Libya under the guise of an imam and was allegedly inciting chaos among Libyans. According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, he was leading a group of over 200 ISIS members to orchestrate acts of violence and terrorism.
Observers have raised questions regarding the true identity of al-Julani and whether he is a product of Mossad’s influence, particularly considering that Israeli hospitals treated his operatives during the Syrian war over the last decade. Despite claims of his origins, there remains ambiguity surrounding his past and intentions, especially given his conciliatory demeanor towards Israel.
Ultimately, it is apparent that lessons have yet to be learned from past mistakes in dealing with a cunning adversary that seeks to undermine and fracture regional stability through various means.
