Israeli Mossad retrieves entire archive of Eli Cohen from Syria: What we know
The announcement of the secret operation that recovered 2,500 documents from Syria coincided with the 60th anniversary of Cohen’s execution.
In a covert operation, the Israeli Mossad retrieved 2,500 documents and personal items belonging to legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen from Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Sunday.
The Mossad, which operates under the authority of the prime minister, did not issue a separate statement. Netanyahu’s office did not disclose when the operation took place, only that it occurred recently.
"In a secret and complex operation by the Mossad, in cooperation with a strategic partner service, the official Syrian archive on the late Eli Cohen was brought to Israel, containing thousands of artifacts that had been held by the Syrian security forces in a highly classified manner for decades," read the statement.
The recovery comes one week after the Mossad and the Israeli military retrieved the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, missing since the 1982 battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War. Feldman’s body was recovered from Syria in a separate special operation, the details of which remain undisclosed.
