A surprising new report published Friday by the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar claims that Syria’s new leadership, under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, is open to disclosing the location of Eli Cohen’s remains—Israel’s legendary spy executed in Damascus in 1965—as well as information on Israeli soldiers missing since the First Lebanon War.
According to the article, written by Al-Akhbar’s editor Ibrahim al-Amin, security mediation between Syria and Israel has reached a critical new phase, with Damascus expressing conditional willingness to reveal burial sites of Israeli MIAs from 1982.
The report states that recent meetings took place in Abu Dhabi, with participation from Israeli and American officials alongside representatives from the new Syrian regime. Arab diplomats quoted in the piece say the dialogue is being framed as a non-official understanding aimed at easing tensions with Israel and potentially laying the groundwork for broader stabilization measures in Syria.
American “Incentives” Behind the Shift
The article suggests that U.S. negotiators offered the Syrian government what were described as “needed incentives” to encourage cooperation. In exchange, Damascus has begun distancing itself from Palestinian factions allegedly operating from within Syria and using its territory to launch attacks against Israel.
Renewed Hope for Eli Cohen’s Return
The case of Eli Cohen, who infiltrated the highest levels of the Syrian government in the 1960s before being caught and executed, has remained a high-priority issue in Israel for decades. His story is considered a symbol of sacrifice, bravery, and national legacy.
Successive Israeli governments have worked tirelessly to recover his remains. Now, with the emergence of Syria’s new leadership, hope is rising that Cohen’s body might finally be returned home.
