“Israel” says recovered 2,500 items from Syria linked to Mossad spy Eli Cohen

“Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Sunday that around 2,500 documents, photographs and personal effects linked to Mossad spy Eli Cohen had been recovered from Syria, where he worked undercover until his execution in 1965.

"In a complex covert operation by the Mossad, in cooperation with a strategic partner service, the official Syrian archive on Eli Cohen was brought to “Israel”.

The trove contains thousands of items that had been kept under tight security by Syrian intelligence for decades," the office said in a statement.

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Eli Cohen, operating under the alias Kamel Amin Tha’abet, began his espionage mission in Syria in 1961, posing as a wealthy businessman.

He gained access to high-ranking Syrian military and political circles, providing “Israel” with critical intelligence, particularly about Syria’s fortifications on the Golan Heights.

His work was instrumental in “Israel’s” victory during the 1967 Six-Day War, notably through his suggestion to plant eucalyptus trees near Syrian bunkers, which inadvertently helped “Israeli” forces identify targets.

Cohen’s cover was blown in 1965 when Syrian authorities intercepted his communications. He was arrested, tortured, and publicly hanged on May 18, 1965.