Marking 60 years since the execution of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen, the Mossad—Israel’s national intelligence agency—has successfully carried out a secret and highly complex operation to retrieve his personal archive from Syria. The archive, which includes thousands of official documents, photographs, and personal effects, had been held for decades under strict guard by Syrian security forces.
Watch the footage, courtesy of the Prime Minister’s Office:
A Historic Transfer
The material was brought to Israel at a symbolic time, near the anniversary of Cohen’s public hanging in Damascus’s central Al-Marjeh Square. In a special meeting attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Director David “Dadi” Barnea, select items from the archive were presented to Cohen’s widow, Mrs. Nadia Cohen. Among the documents revealed for the first time was Cohen’s original last will and testament, written just hours before his execution—a document previously seen only in copy.
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What the Archive Contains:
The archive includes approximately 2,500 items—ranging from handwritten letters and official court documents to rare photographs and audio recordings. Many of these materials are being disclosed publicly for the first time. Highlights include recordings and investigative files from Eli Cohen’s time in Syria, handwritten letters to his family in Israel, photos of Cohen with senior Syrian military and government figures during his time undercover, and personal items taken from his home after his arrest. Also included is Cohen’s original death sentence, which stipulates that Rabbi Nissim Andabo, then head of Damascus’s Jewish community, would accompany him in accordance with Jewish tradition, as well as a personal file belonging to Nadia Cohen (Eli’s widow), documenting her tireless efforts to secure his release, including letters she wrote to world leaders and the Syrian president.
A Glimpse into Cohen’s Final Words
In the final letter recovered from the archive, Eli Cohen wrote: “To my wife Nadia and my dear family, I write to you my final words and ask that you always stay connected to one another. Nadia, I ask your forgiveness and that you take care of yourself and the children. Ensure they are educated. Do not deny yourself or them anything, and stay in touch with my family.”
He continued: “You may marry another man so the children won’t grow up without a father. You have full freedom to do so. Please, don’t waste your time crying over the past—always think about the future. Don’t forget to pray for the elevation of my father’s soul and mine.”
Decades of Effort Come to Light
The recovery of the archive is the culmination of decades of effort by intelligence, operational, and technological teams within the Mossad. Their goal is to shed light on Eli Cohen’s fate and locate his burial site—which remains undisclosed.
Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized Cohen’s pivotal role in Israeli history: “Eli Cohen is a national legend and an intelligence agent whose work contributed to our victory in the Six-Day War.”
Mossad Chief Barnea called the operation a moral and ethical triumph, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to locating the burial site of Eli Cohen and continuing efforts to bring back missing soldiers and hostages.
