Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has successfully brought home a vast trove of secret Syrian archives detailing the life, mission, and final days of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen — six decades after his execution in Damascus.

Timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Cohen’s public hanging in Damascus’s Marjeh Square on May 18, 1965, the announcement of the covert mission, executed in cooperation with a strategic foreign intelligence partner, marks a historic breakthrough in Israel’s ongoing effort to uncover the truth behind its most iconic agent.

The operation resulted in the transfer to Israel of approximately 2,500 classified Syrian documents, photographs, personal effects, handwritten letters, and audio recordings — many never before seen — that had been held for decades under the tightest security by Syrian intelligence services. Among the recovered materials is the original handwritten will Cohen penned in the final hours before his death, previously known only through a copy.

At a special presentation held Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Mossad Director David (Dadi) Barnea personally unveiled select items to Cohen’s widow, Nadia Cohen.

Among the personal belongings recovered were the keys to Cohen’s apartment in Damascus, forged passports, and numerous photos of Cohen embedded deep within Syria’s military and political elite. Meticulous Syrian intelligence records reveal operational details from his mission — including surveillance assignments and intelligence-gathering tasks on Syrian military bases in Quneitra.

One chilling document recovered: the original sentencing order that condemned Cohen to death, including a court directive to allow Damascus’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Nissim Andabo z”l, to accompany him in his final moments in accordance with Jewish tradition.

The archive also includes a thick file labeled “Nadia Cohen,” revealing that Syrian intelligence closely monitored Mrs. Cohen’s relentless campaign to secure her husband’s release. The file contains correspondence she sent to world leaders and the Syrian regime, pleading for clemency.

Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed Cohen as “a legend” and “Israel’s greatest intelligence agent,” adding, “His bravery and sacrifice directly contributed to our historic victory in the Six Day War. The Eli Cohen archive will serve as an educational pillar for generations and reaffirms our unwavering commitment to return all our missing, captives, and fallen soldiers home.”

Mossad chief Barnea called the retrieval of the archive a “moral and strategic achievement of the highest order” and a major step toward uncovering Cohen’s final resting place. “This mission is far from over,” he said. “We remain committed to locating and returning all our missing — the living, to rehabilitation; the fallen, to eternal rest in a Jewish grave.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)