Remains of Israeli spy Eli Cohen may be handed over to Israel from Syria

Eli Cohen, born to a Syrian Jewish family that emigrated to Latin America, was recruited by Mossad and sent to Syria under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet.

By i24 News and The Algemeiner

The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reported on Sunday that the remains of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who was captured and executed in Syria in 1965, may soon be handed over to Israel.

Earlier this year, reports revealed that 2,500 documents, photographs, and personal belongings of Cohen were secretly transferred to Israel in a covert Mossad operation.

These items, part of the official Syrian archive on the famed operative, had been closely guarded by Syrian security forces for decades.

A Syrian source told i24NEWS that on May 2, a helicopter landed in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, delivering Cohen’s archive.

The source described the move as a symbolic gesture from the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad to Israel, al-Julani, and the United States, noting that the operation “eliminated the need to fly over Jordanian or Lebanese airspace.”

Eli Cohen, born to a Syrian Jewish family that emigrated to Latin America, was recruited by Mossad and sent to Syria under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet.

During his mission, he gained the trust of top Syrian political and military figures before his cover was blown.

Cohen was executed in Damascus’ Marjeh Square on May 18, 1965.

Following his execution, Syrian authorities kept the location of his burial secret and rejected all international mediation attempts to return his remains in exchange for Arab prisoners.