Israel seeks to locate burial site of legendary spy Eli Cohen in Syria

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The Israeli government is in contact with Syrian nationals concerning the location of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen’s burial site, the Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al-Akhbar reported on Saturday.

By posing as a wealthy patriotic Arab businessman, the late Mossad spy Cohen succeeded in infiltrating the Syrian military in the 1960s before being discovered and executed in 1965. Cohen’s intelligence work is believed to have played an important role in Israel’s military victory in the Six-Day War of 1967.

Cohen’s family in Israel has tried to secure the return of his remains for burial in the Jewish state for years.

Cohen’s widow Nadia recently expressed renewed hope that the downfall of the Syrian Assad regime could facilitate the return of her late husband’s remains.

“Since Syria’s instability began, I’ve urged Mossad to solve this issue and bring Eli home for burial,” she told Ynet News.

“With recent events in Syria, I hope Israel understands this is the right time,” Nadia added.

She recalled that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in no hurry to release her husband's remains.

“He said Eli would return ‘when the time comes.’ Perhaps that time is now,” Nadia assessed.

She told Ynet she has been waiting nearly 60 years to be reunited with her late husband.

“I don’t want Eli’s remains left in Syria. The turmoil there could work in our favor. I wish peace for both the Syrian people and us, and hope this opportunity will lead to Eli’s body being returned to Israel so he can rest in peace. After all these years, I too will finally find peace. I haven’t forgotten him for even a moment, and nearly 60 years have passed since he was hanged," she said.

The late Cohen is not the only Israeli being held in Syria. The families of the IDF soldiers Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, who have been missing since the First Lebanon War in 1982, are also hopeful that the recent dramatic events in Syria may bring closure, as both are believed to be in Syria.

“The events in Syria are a rare window of opportunity. We hope this will bring Zvika home,” Feldman’s sister Anat said. “We’ve always said Zvika might be held somewhere. The state must act now—it’s a national responsibility,” she stressed.

Israel hopes to receive more information about Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force pilot who went missing over Lebanon in 1986. Due to Syria’s then extensive involvement in Lebanon and its cooperation with the Iranian regime, the recent turmoil in Syria could be an opportunity to receive more information about Arad’s whereabouts.

Israel is also interested in acquiring a file of Jewish antiquities, according to the Al-Akhbar paper. Around 50% of Jewish sites in Syria have reportedly been destroyed. In 1947, there were allegedly about 30,000 Jews living in Syria.

However, due to widespread antisemitism in Syria and significant emigration, very few Jews remain in the country. Today, most of the Syrian Jewish community resides in Israel and the United States.