Files of hanged Israeli spy Eli Cohen returned by Syria in covert diplomatic move Details by Reuters

Syria’s leadership authorised the handover of a cache of personal effects belonging to famed Israeli spy Eli Cohen as a goodwill gesture aimed at easing tensions with Israel and building trust with US President Donald Trump, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

On May 18, Israel publicly announced the recovery of what it described as a trove of documents, photographs, and personal belongings that had belonged to Cohen, one of the Mossad’s most revered agents. The Israeli government said the operation was carried out by Mossad in cooperation with an unnamed foreign intelligence service and refrained from disclosing how the materials were obtained.

However, a Syrian security official, an adviser to President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and a third source familiar with ongoing backchannel negotiations between Syria and Israel told Reuters that the transfer of Cohen’s belongings was not the result of a Mossad operation alone, but rather an overture from Damascus. According to these sources, the decision was made directly by Sharaa, who viewed the return of the long-held archive as a way to reduce Israeli hostility and signal openness to the Trump administration.

Eli Cohen, who penetrated the highest levels of Syrian political and military leadership in the early 1960s, was captured and publicly hanged in Damascus in 1965. The intelligence he gathered is widely believed to have contributed significantly to Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War. He remains a national hero in Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called him “the greatest intelligence agent in the annals of the state” and “a legend.”

For decades, Israel has sought the return of Cohen’s remains for burial in Israel. While this latest transfer did not include his body, the return of his personal archive, long kept by Syrian intelligence, was celebrated in Israel. Mossad described the recovery as “an achievement of the highest moral order.”

Netanyahu’s office, Syrian authorities, and the White House have not commented on Syria’s reported role in the recovery.

According to the Syrian security source, the Cohen materials were discovered late last year by rebel forces who had just overthrown President Bashar al-Assad in a sudden power shift that ended his family's 54-year-long rule. The items were reportedly found in a state security building and then turned over to the new leadership. Sharaa and his advisers quickly identified the strategic value of the archive and decided to offer it to Israel as a signal of intent to de-escalate and improve relations.

“Sharaa realised the Cohen archive was important to the Israelis,” the security source said, “and that returning it could serve as a meaningful diplomatic gesture.”

For Sharaa, improving ties with the US and ending Israeli military strikes on Syrian territory are key goals as he tries to stabilise and rebuild Syria after 14 years of devastating civil war. Israel, however, remains deeply sceptical of Sharaa and his allies, many of whom were formerly part of Syria’s al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgent factions. Last year, Israeli forces launched an incursion into border areas and have conducted repeated airstrikes in support of Syria’s Druze minority.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the United Arab Emirates has facilitated a backchannel between Israel and Syria to foster confidence-building measures. Two additional sources confirmed that there are other ongoing indirect channels of communication between the two nations.

As part of these talks, Syria reportedly agreed to return not only Cohen’s remains, which have yet to be recovered, but also those of three Israeli soldiers who were killed during clashes with Syrian forces in Lebanon in the early 1980s. Last week, Israel confirmed that the body of one of those soldiers, Zvi Feldman, had been returned.

One source involved in the discussions confirmed that the handover of the Cohen archive was part of these broader confidence-building measures and was conducted with Sharaa’s direct approval.

The diplomatic overture came shortly before a surprise meeting last week between Trump and Sharaa in Saudi Arabia. At that meeting, Trump urged Sharaa to normalise relations with Israel and announced that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria.

Syrian officials have since affirmed their interest in achieving peace with all states in the region. President Sharaa confirmed earlier this month that Syria had engaged in indirect talks with Israel through third-party countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, as part of efforts to calm regional tensions.

By Tamilla Hasanova