Befitting his reputation as Israel’s greatest spy, there are many stories about Eli Cohen but not all of them are verifiable. What we do know is that the man whom the highest echelons of Syria’s leadership considered a patriotic Syrian Muslim was in fact an Egyptian-born Jew working for Israel.
Cohen came from a Zionist family from Alexandria. In 1947, as Egyptian Jews faced increasing persecution and suspicion, Cohen’s efforts to join the Egyptian army were rebuffed and he suffered harassment while studying engineering at Cairo’s Farouk University. His family left for Israel in 1949 but Cohen stayed to complete his degree and to carry out Zionist activities. He played a small part in an Israeli-initiated spy ring of Egyptian Jews that was uncovered in 1954. Two of his colleagues were executed. Cohen was arrested and interrogated, then released.
In 1957, Cohen emigrated to Israel. Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, he held a “desk job” as a translator for Israeli military intelligence. Despite his intelligence, bravery, and remarkable memory, he was rejected from more elite Mossad operations out of fears that he had an “exaggerated sense of self-importance” and a penchant for risk-taking. The angered Cohen left the intelligence world for a poor-paying job as a filing clerk but by 1960, Mossad wanted him for a high-risk, undercover operation in Syria. Married with a young family, he eventually agreed, undergoing intense training in everything from weapons and radiocommunications to Koranic studies. Particularly important, he learned to speak Arabic with an impeccable Syrian rather than Egyptian accent.
Cohen was sent initially to Argentina where he established his new identity as Kamel Amin Taabeth, a rich businessman-playboy of Syrian extraction. Using his considerable charm and the large funds invested by Mossad in the operation, he befriended many Syrian movers and shakers stationed there, including, it is claimed, the future Syrian president Major Amin al-Hafeez. In 1962, with a radio transmitter hidden in his luggage, Cohen-Taabeth was sent to Damascus. He proved a remarkable hit. His lavish parties, with their generous supplies of alcohol and attractive women, were popular with Syria’s military and political elite. Cohen overheard drunken secrets, was given access to classified information, and was invited to Syrian military facilities. He helped the IDF destroy a Syrian plan to divert water from northern Israel. It is said that he convinced the Syrian military to plant Eucalyptus trees near their hidden fortifications on the Golan Heights so that their soldiers could enjoy the shade. The trees proved an ideal target for future Israeli bombardments.
By 1964, Cohen feared that he was under suspicion. He returned to Israel, spent time with his family (who remained unaware of his Syrian alter ego) and indicated to his superiors that he was ready to rejoin normal life. Syria was considered nearly impenetrable to Israel’s intelligence and therefore he was pressured to return. Back in Syria and with war between the two countries looming, the always brave Cohen became reckless. He sent many radio transmissions in a short period, often at the same time of day. In 1965, he was captured, perhaps due to Soviet security experts working with Syrian counterintelligence. Despite pleas from Israel, world leaders, and the Pope, Cohen was hanged in Damascus in front of a large crowd of jeering onlookers. His body, with anti-Zionist slogans attached to it, was left hanging for six hours. In his last moments of life, he had written to his wife, begging her not to weep.
A man of the shadows during his lifetime, in death Cohen became an Israeli hero. Many believe that his information was crucial to Israel’s rapid conquest of the Golan Heights during the Six Day War of 1967. The Prime Minister attended the bar mitzvah of his son; streets were named after him. Netflix recently made a series about him called The Spy. But still, despite 45 years of requests, Eli Cohen’s remains have not been returned to Israel and to his family.