# Eli Cohen: The Spy Who Almost Became Syria's Defense Minister

*History & War · Eleanor Hartwell · 2026-08-11*

## TL;DR

Eli Cohen, an Egyptian-born Jew, posed as a wealthy Syrian businessman in Damascus during the early 1960s. He befriended top Syrian officials and gathered critical intelligence for Israel's Mossad. His cover was blown in 1965, and he was hanged in a public square in Damascus, becoming a national hero in Israel.

## Key facts

- Eli Cohen arrived in Damascus in 1962 using the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet, a Syrian businessman who had supposedly lived abroad.
- He rose rapidly in Syrian society, hosting lavish parties for military and political elites at his home on the Abu Rummaneh boulevard.
- Cohen reportedly provided intelligence on Syrian fortifications in the Golan Heights that proved vital to Israel's 1967 victory.
- Syrian counterintelligence finally exposed his operation in January 1965, and he was arrested at his residence.
- He was convicted of espionage and hanged publicly in Marjeh Square in Damascus on May 18, 1965.

## The Spy Who Almost Became Syria's Defense Minister

Eli Cohen is widely regarded as one of the most successful spies in world history, and in Israel, he is celebrated as a national hero with streets and boulevards bearing his name. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1924, he was a member of an underground organization that smuggled Jews to Israel through illegal channels. His path to becoming a legendary operative began with a quiet life in Egypt and led to one of the most audacious espionage missions of the twentieth century.

By the early 1960s, Unit 131 of Aman, the intelligence branch of the Israel Defense Forces, was hunting for a highly qualified agent to embed in Damascus. The urgency was real: Syria had emerged as the most aggressive of Israel's Arab neighbors, constantly probing the border near the Golan Heights and the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Beyond the skirmishes and infiltrators, there was a deeper threat. The Syrian government was actively planning to divert the tributaries of the Jordan River, Israel's vital water lifeline, in a calculated attempt to strangle the young nation's water supply.

Into this volatile landscape stepped a man who would spend years perfecting a lie so elaborate that it nearly placed him in the Syrian cabinet. His story begins not in the Middle East, but in Argentina, where he would build the foundation for his most dangerous identity.

## Building a Legend: From Cairo to Damascus

Eli Cohen didn't just walk into Syria with a fake passport and a handshake. He built a man from scratch, piece by piece, starting in Buenos Aires in the early 1960s. The name he chose was Kamel Amin Thaabet, and the backstory was meticulous: born in Beirut to Syrian parents, a textile merchant father, and a sister who had emigrated to Argentina in 1946.

The cover was only half the work. Cohen spent three months in Argentina absorbing the details that would make his legend believable. He learned Spanish and, more crucially, Arabic with a Syrian accent, the kind of regional inflection that would mark him as a genuine son of Damascus rather than an outsider. He didn't just study the culture from books. He lived it, frequenting Arab restaurants, sitting through Arab films in cultural clubs, and making himself a familiar, generous face at political gatherings.

His strategy was simple: become indispensable. Cohen made substantial charitable donations, spreading his name through the community as a wealthy, connected businessman with a soft spot for his homeland. The reputation paid off when he managed to get himself onto the guest list for a reception hosted by the Syrian embassy. There, he met General Amin al-Hafiz, then Syria's military attaché in Argentina. Cohen charmed him thoroughly, and the general, impressed, wrote him a letter of recommendation to take back to Syria.

That single letter was the key that unlocked Damascus. When Cohen arrived in Syria's capital, the recommendation from al-Hafiz opened doors that would have stayed shut to any ordinary stranger. The highest social circles, the banks, the commercial elites, all welcomed Kamel Amin Thaabet with open arms, eager to do business with a man who had the military's blessing. And once those doors were open, Cohen walked straight into the heart of Syrian power, ready to begin the work he had been trained for back in Israel.

## The Ba'athist Coup and a Spy in the Inner Circle

On 8 March 1963, the Syrian army staged a military coup that handed power to the Ba'ath Party, and Amin al-Hafiz, the man Eli Cohen had befriended in Argentina, became Defense Minister. For Cohen, the coup was a seismic shift in his fortunes, propelling him from a well-connected businessman into the very heart of Syrian power.

Cohen had spent months carefully laying his groundwork. His early intelligence reports to Israel detailed growing unrest within the army and the rising influence of the Ba'ath Party, a socialist movement advocating Arab unity. Sensing the political winds, he made generous donations to the party, positioning himself as a loyal supporter. His transmitter, placed dangerously close to the army headquarters, sent coded messages to Israel every morning at 8 AM, and sometimes again in the evenings.

When al-Hafiz later consolidated his own power and became head of state, the payoff for Cohen's calculated friendships was immense. His close associates were appointed to important government positions, giving the spy unprecedented access to the highest echelons of Syrian decision-making. The man who had once been a guest at embassy parties was now a trusted insider, his advice sought and his company welcomed by the very officials shaping the nation's policies.

## The Water War and the Fatal Mistake

On 13 November 1964, Syrian gunners opened fire on Israeli tractors working near the border, and Israel answered with overwhelming force. Artillery and tanks joined the battle, and within minutes, Mirage and Vautour fighter jets were in the air, bombing Syrian positions and destroying the construction site where crews were digging canals to divert the Jordan River. The heavy machinery, bulldozers, and excavators were systematically wiped out in a single coordinated strike.

For Syrian intelligence, the attack was more than a military defeat. It was a revelation. Every decision made in Damascus seemed to reach Israeli radio broadcasts by the next morning, and now Israeli pilots had bombed the diversion project with pinpoint accuracy, despite the fact that satellite technology did not yet exist. The Syrians realized someone inside their inner circle was feeding Israel everything, and they began hunting for the leak.

In January 1965, the Syrian army took delivery of new communication equipment to replace outdated devices that had fallen behind the times. The switchover was scheduled for 7 January 1965, and to install and test the new gear, all military communications across the country were shut down for a full 24 hours. During that silence, the radio operator on duty picked up a faint signal that should not have existed. A spy was transmitting, and when intelligence officers tried to triangulate the location, the transmission stopped. The calculations pointed to one address: the home of Kamel Amin Thaabet, a man so trusted that he was being considered for a cabinet position.

The intelligence officer hesitated. Raiding the home of someone so close to the government could cost him his own head. He waited, and that evening, the suspect began transmitting his nightly report. This time, the officer was certain. At 8:00 a.m., Syrian security forces stormed the house and found hidden documents, transmitters, and cameras. The man known to Damascus society as Kamel Amin Thaabet was Eli Cohen, the Israeli spy who had embedded himself so deeply in Syrian power that he had nearly become a minister.

## Capture, Execution, and a Contested Legacy

Eli Cohen was hanged in Damascus on 18 May 1965, despite mediation efforts by several countries. The execution came just over four months after Syrian intelligence arrested him in his home on 7 January 1965, following a frantic hunt for a spy who seemed to know every military secret before it even happened.

The fall came with devastating irony. In January 1965, the Syrian army received a shipment of new communication devices meant to replace outdated equipment. The swap required a 24-hour communications blackout across the entire military network, scheduled for 7 January. During that silence, a duty radio officer caught a faint, unmistakable signal. A transmitter was active somewhere in Damascus. Intelligence officers triangulated the position, but the transmission stopped before they could pinpoint it. The calculations pointed to one location: the home of Kamel Amin Thaabet, the wealthy businessman so close to the government that he was reportedly being considered for a cabinet post.

The officer in charge hesitated. Raiding the home of such a well-connected figure without absolute certainty could cost him his career, or worse. He waited. That evening, Thaabet began transmitting his nightly report, and the officer had his proof. At 8 a.m., security forces stormed the house, seizing secret documents, transmitters, and cameras. The spy who had charmed Damascus's elite was Eli Cohen, the Israeli agent who had embedded himself so deeply in Syrian society that he nearly became a minister.

After interrogation, Cohen was sentenced to death. International appeals poured in, including from the Pope and several Western governments, but Syria refused to relent. On 18 May 1965, he was hanged publicly in Damascus's Marjeh Square, where a crowd reportedly gathered to witness the execution. He was 40 years old.

What followed became the stuff of legend. Two years after his death, in June 1967, Israel won the Six-Day War, capturing the Golan Heights from Syria. According to the original account, Cohen's intelligence played a major role in that victory, with his detailed reports on Syrian positions allegedly giving Israeli forces a decisive edge. Historians, however, remain divided. Some argue his information on Syrian fortifications and troop deployments was genuinely valuable, while others contend the war's outcome owed more to broader strategic factors and that his contribution has been romanticized over time. The debate continues, but one thing is certain: Eli Cohen remains a symbol of espionage daring and sacrifice. Streets and boulevards across Israel bear his name, and his story still captivates anyone who hears it.


## Frequently asked questions

**Who was Eli Cohen and why is he famous?**

Eli Cohen was an Israeli Mossad agent who infiltrated Syria's highest circles under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet, almost becoming a government minister before his capture and execution in 1965. Born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1924, he is celebrated across Israel as one of history's most successful spies, with streets and boulevards bearing his name.

**How did Eli Cohen infiltrate the Syrian government?**

Cohen built a cover as a wealthy Syrian businessman, claiming to be born in Beirut to Syrian parents with a sister who emigrated to Argentina in 1946. In Argentina during the early 1960s, he learned Spanish and Syrian-accented Arabic, then met Syrian military attaché General Amin al-Hafiz, who gave him a recommendation letter to go to Syria.

**What intelligence did Eli Cohen send to Israel?**

Cohen's first reports covered growing unrest in the Syrian army and the rise of the Ba'ath Party. He transmitted messages every morning at eight, sometimes again in the evenings, from a transmitter placed near the army general headquarters. His documents later included details on Syrian positions and the Jordan River diversion project.

**How was Eli Cohen finally caught by Syrian intelligence?**

Syrian counterintelligence detected his radio transmissions during a 24-hour communications blackout on 7 January 1965, traced to his home, and arrested him. A radio officer noticed a faint signal while all military communications were silenced for equipment replacement. The location calculation pointed to Kamel Amin Thaabet's house, and the evening transmission confirmed it.

**When and where was Eli Cohen executed?**

He was executed in Damascus on 18 May 1965. Despite mediation efforts by several countries, the Syrian government carried out the hanging publicly. Cohen was 41 years old at the time of his death.

**What impact did Eli Cohen have on the Six-Day War?**

His intelligence on Syrian positions was valuable, but historians debate its extent; some say it was significant, others say it was overstated. The Six-Day War occurred two years after his execution in 1967. According to the original account, his role in Israel's victory was very large, though this assessment remains contested among intelligence historians.

**Why did Eli Cohen use the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet?**

It was a cover identity created by Israeli intelligence to pass as a Syrian-born Lebanese-raised businessman. His cover story included a father who was a textile merchant, a mother named Saida Ibrahim, and a sister who moved to Argentina in 1946. The alias allowed him to move freely through Damascus's elite circles.

**Did Eli Cohen almost become a minister in Syria?**

Yes, he was a candidate for a cabinet position before his capture. His close ties to government officials, including friends placed in important posts after Amin al-Hafiz became head of state, made him a serious contender. His arrest in January 1965 ended any possibility of that appointment.

Canonical: https://curio.madeda.com/eli-cohen-the-spy-who-almost-became-syria-s-defense-minister/