Israel remembers with both sorrow and pride the 60th anniversary of the execution of Eli Cohen, the legendary spy who risked everything to protect the State of Israel. On May 18, 1965, Cohen was publicly hanged in Damascus after being discovered by the Syrian regime, where he had successfully infiltrated the highest levels of government.
Cohen is widely recognized for his exceptional intelligence work, which provided Israel with critical strategic information during the 1960s, especially regarding Syrian military positions in the Golan Heights, a territory disputed between the two countries. His contributions are considered fundamental to Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War in 1967.
Despite the decades that have passed, Eli Cohen’s body has never been returned by the Syrian government, and he remains buried in an unknown location. The government of Israel continues to fight for the return of his remains, in an effort to ensure that Cohen can finally be laid to rest in his homeland, for which he gave his life.
