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Syria returns belongings of Israeli spy Eli Cohen as a gesture to cool tensions: Report
Syria's interim leadership has agreed to return belongings of the late Israeli spy Eli Cohen to Israel to ease tensions and show goodwill to US President Donald Trump. read more
Syria's interim leadership has agreed to return the belongings of the long-dead Israeli spy Eli Cohen to Israel in a bid to reduce tensions and show goodwill towards US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported, citing sources.
Israel announced on Sunday that it had recovered documents, photographs, and personal items related to Cohen. The Israeli spy agency Mossad collaborated with a foreign intelligence agency to secure the materials.
A Syrian security source, an adviser to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and a person familiar with secret talks between the two countries said the archive was actually offered to Israel by Sharaa as a gesture to ease tensions and build trust with President Trump.
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Eli Cohen, who was hanged in 1965 in a public square in Damascus after spying on Syria's political leaders, is still regarded as a hero in Israel. He is Mossad's most famous spy, known for uncovering military secrets that helped Israel achieve a swift victory in the 1967 Middle East war.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Cohen as a legend and 'the greatest intelligence agent in the history of the state.'
Eli Cohen was an Egyptian-born Israeli spy renowned for his deep infiltration into Syria's political and military elite during the early 1960s.
He was executed by Syria after being exposed through Russian-made devices used to detect espionage activities.
Operating under the alias Kamal Amin Thaabet, Cohen posed as a wealthy businessman and advisor to Syria's defence minister, providing Israel with critical intelligence that significantly contributed to its success in the 1967 Six-Day War.
With inputs from Reuters.
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