Draft:Eli Cohen
| Eli Cohen | |
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| Name | Eli Cohen |
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| Personal Details | |
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| Death Place | Syria |
| Religion | Jewish |
Eliyahu ben Shaul Cohen, the most prominent spy of the Zionist regime (Israel), operated under the alias "Kamel Amin." He successfully infiltrated the highest levels of the Syrian government, rising to the position of senior advisor to the country's Minister of Defense. Paradoxically, he became known as the most fervent and staunchly anti-Jewish politician in Syria, delivering some of the most impassioned speeches against Israel in the Syrian Parliament and earning a reputation for his hostility toward the Jewish state. Due to the high-level intelligence he provided to Israel, he played a pivotal role in the Arab defeat during the Six-Day War and the subsequent capture of the Golan Heights by the Zionist regime. Prior to his exposure, he was considered a leading candidate for the position of Prime Minister.
Born on December 6, 1925, in Alexandria, Egyptian Arab Republic, he was sentenced to death after his infiltration within the Syrian government was uncovered. He was executed by hanging at 3:00 AM on May 18, 1965, in Marjeh Square, Damascus. Cohen is regarded as one of the most significant spies of the Zionist regime in the 20th century. Over the four years he spent in the Syrian capital, he transmitted critical and dangerous intelligence to Tel Aviv. Decades after his execution, he remains a figure of considerable interest to Zionist authorities.
Biography
"Eliyahu (Eli) ben Shaul Cohen" was born on December 6, 1925, into an Orthodox and Zionist family in Alexandria. His father had migrated from Aleppo, Syria, to the Egyptian Arab Republic. In 1947, amidst rising anti-Jewish sentiments among Arabs, he discontinued his formal education and pursued studies at home. Following the establishment of the Zionist regime, most Jewish families in Egypt departed for the occupied territories. Although his father and three brothers left Egypt for the occupied lands in 1949, Cohen remained in Egypt to complete his degree in electronics and to manage his Jewish and Zionist activities. In 1951, following a military coup, an anti-Zionist movement emerged, leading to Cohen's arrest due to his Zionist activities. While Cohen participated in numerous operations conducted by the Zionist regime in Egypt, the Egyptian government never presented concrete evidence of his involvement. After the Suez Crisis, tensions between the Egyptian government and the Jewish community intensified. In 1956, Cohen was compelled to leave Egypt and migrate to the occupied territories.
In 1957, Cohen was recruited by the military intelligence of the Zionist regime. Finding his assigned duties tedious, he sought to join the Mossad; however, he was initially rejected and forced to continue his previous work. Over the next two years, he worked in an insurance office. Later, when "Meir Amit," the Director of the Mossad, noticed Cohen's name among the rejected candidates, the Mossad decided to recruit him. His assigned mission was to infiltrate the Syrian government. After being under surveillance for two weeks, he was officially recruited and underwent training. Cohen completed an intensive six-month Mossad training course, and his training reports indicated that he possessed the necessary skills for real-world operations. During this period, a false identity was created for him as a Syrian businessman returning to his homeland from Argentina. To lend credibility to this cover story, he traveled to Argentina.
Beginnings of Espionage in Syria
On January 10, 1962, "Kamel Amin Thaabet" (Cohen's new name) boarded a tourist ship departing from the city of Genoa, Italy, which anchored in Alexandria and finally arrived at the port of Beirut. Aboard the ship, Eli Cohen met "Majeed Sheikh al-Ard", a figure who would accompany him throughout his three-year stay in Damascus. Al-Ard was a worldly man; he spoke many languages and was fluent in German. The two met on the ship's deck and engaged in conversation. Posing as a wealthy businessman seeking to invest inherited capital, Cohen expressed interest in exploring trade opportunities in his supposed homeland, Syria. Majeed Sheikh al-Ard suggested that Cohen accompany him on a journey from Beirut to Damascus after disembarking in Beirut. Al-Ard invited Cohen to travel with him in his new car, and following a day of rest in Beirut, the two proceeded to the border crossing between Lebanon and Syria.
According to American intelligence documents, Majeed Sheikh al-Ard served as an American informant from 1951 to 1959. He explained to Cohen that he had friends who could arrange safe passage across the border for a few hundred Syrian pounds. Majeed Sheikh al-Ard received 400 Syrian pounds from Cohen and contacted his friend, a Syrian security official awaiting them at the border crossing. Another of al-Ard's associates was responsible for customs at the border checkpoint. While Kamel Amin Thaabet (Eli Cohen) sat drinking coffee at the border crossing, Majeed Sheikh al-Ard's friends transferred bags containing espionage equipment that Cohen had brought from the Israeli side. Thus, Eli Cohen entered Damascus without his personal belongings being searched.
Infiltration of the Syrian Army
Cohen succeeded in gaining the trust of numerous individuals within the Syrian military and government. During this period, he transmitted information via radio, letters, and occasionally in person. The most significant intelligence he gathered occurred during his visit to the Golan Heights, where he managed to relay Syrian military information regarding that region to the occupied territories. Cohen pretended that he intended to plant trees above the heads of soldiers standing guard under the sun in order to provide them shade. Later, these trees were used as targeting markers by the Israeli army. Cohen conducted numerous visits to southern Syria, preparing many photographs and sketches of the region for the Zionist regime. He would shout in the Syrian National Assembly, accusing Israel of countless deeds done and undone, yet at night, from his home, he transmitted highly valuable information to the Israel. Cohen succeeded in establishing friendships with many high-ranking officers in the Syrian army. Some reports claim he was particularly close to "Amin al-Hafiz", although Hafiz later denied this friendship. After Hafiz became president, Cohen was even considered for the position of Minister of Defense. Amin al-Hafiz (born 1921, died 2009) served as President of Syria from 1963 until February 1966. Cohen also managed to uncover the Syrian army's secret program to establish a multi-layered air defense system. The Israeli army had anticipated only a single layer of defense, making Cohen's intelligence extremely valuable.
The Zionist regime has always regarded Cohen as one of its most important spies. "Evi Shkol", a former prime minister of this regime, stated that the intelligence provided by Cohen led to Israel's victory in the 1967 war. In 1964, Cohen secretly returned to the Israel to be present beside his wife (an Iraqi-Jewish woman and sister of the Israeli writer "Sammy Michael") during childbirth.
Trial and Execution
In January 1965, the Syrian government intensified its efforts to apprehend high-ranking spies. With assistance from the former Soviet Union and their equipment, radio lines were monitored. This equipment successfully tracked Cohen while he was transmitting information to the Zionist regime.
Numerous accounts have been published regarding how his identity was revealed and how he was arrested. One such account states that three officers of the Syrian intelligence service told him upon his arrest: "The game is over."
Following a military trial, he was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death. During interrogations, Cohen did not disclose any classified information belonging to the Zionist regime.
Tel Aviv launched a global campaign to support him and prevent his execution. Zionists repeatedly requested the Syrian government not to execute him and even asked the Soviet Union to mediate. Although many international figures, including Pope Paul VI, and the governments of France, Belgium, and Canada, urged the Syrian government to annul the death sentence, he was publicly executed at 3:00 AM on May 18, 1965, in Marjeh Square, Damascus.
According to "Maurice Cohen," his brother, who is also a Mossad spy, Eli Cohen was the third in line to become the Prime Minister of Syria at the time of his execution.
The Cohen family's requests to return his body to the occupied territories have been rejected several times. In 2007, the government of Turkey announced its readiness to mediate between Syria and the Zionist regime on this matter. In 2008, an official from the government of Hafez al-Assad stated that his remains were buried in an unknown location to prevent their return to the occupied territories.
In 2018, Mossad announced that it had recovered Cohen's watch. Details regarding the discovery of Eli Cohen's watch were not disclosed, with references limited to a "special Mossad operation." Nevertheless, the head of Mossad stated that Cohen wore this watch until the day he was arrested.
Humiliation of the Cohen Family by the Zionist Regime
The Cohen family has accused the cabinet of the Zionist regime and its political and security systems of neglecting their responsibilities toward their spy, emphasizing that the security services of the Israel have shown weakness and laxity in supporting their own security personnel.
Nadia Cohen also revealed that during her final meeting with Eli before his arrest, she could sense the fate that awaited him.
She stated that Eli had realized a month and a half before leaving his home that he would not return; therefore, they bid him a final farewell.
The wife of this Israeli spy added: "The regime harassed me repeatedly. Even my young children paid a heavy price. This pain has always been with us. They abandoned us mercilessly on the street corner."
"Sophie Ben-Dor," Cohen's daughter, who was five years old at the time of her father's execution, criticized the narrative published by Mossad and emphasized that both Mossad and Israel sought to exploit him continuously; had this not occurred, Eli Cohen would not have been exposed.
See Also
References
- The story of the spy who chanted against Israel in the Syrian parliament and sent information to Tel Aviv at night/photos, Date of publication: n.d., Date accessed: 27 Aban 1402 SH.
- The politician who chanted anti-Israel slogans and was himself a Zionist spy (+photos), Date of publication: 2 Ordibehesht 1400 SH, Date accessed: 27 Aban 1402 SH.
- A new account of the arrest of a senior Mossad spy in Syria/ Humiliation of the Mossad spy's family by Israel/ "Cohen" underestimated the Syrian intelligence service +photos, Date of publication: 13 Ordibehesht 1399 SH, Date accessed: 27 Aban 1402 SH.