Israel recovers possessions of 1960s spy executed by Syria

By James Mackenzie

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel's spy agency Mossad has recovered a trove of documents and photographs belonging to its late agent Eli Cohen, who was hanged in a downtown Damascus square six decades ago after collecting intelligence on Syrian military plans.

The 2,500 documents, photographs and personal belongings of Cohen were taken to Israel after a "covert and complex Mossad operation, in cooperation with an allied foreign intelligence service" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday.

A Syrian government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on how the trove had left Damascus, where last year's overthrow of Bashar al-Assad has upset established alliances and enmities across the region.

Israel has repeatedly bombed Syria since former rebels led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, once an al Qaeda leader, took office in December, but the new government in Damascus has responded with conciliatory language, saying it seeks peace with all states.

Sharaa said this month that Syria had held indirect talks with Israel to reduce tensions.

Last month Israel said it had recovered the body of a soldier, Zvi Feldman, who was killed in a battle with Syrian forces in Lebanon in 1982.

Cohen was born in Egypt to a Jewish family who moved to Israel after it was created in 1948. He joined Mossad and was sent to Syria, posing as a Syrian businessman returning to the country from South America.

After penetrating Syria's political leadership under an alias, he sent high-level intelligence back to his Israeli handlers but was captured in 1965, put on trial and sentenced to death. He was hanged on May 18, 1965.

The documents and possessions recovered by Mossad include family photographs, letters and the key to his Damascus apartment, as well as such operational material as reports to his handlers, Netanyahu's office said. They also included the original death sentence passed by the Syrian court and his will.

Some of the original documents and personal items were presented to Cohen's widow, Nadia, Netanyahu's office said.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie in Jerusalem, additional reporting by Timour Azhari in Beirut. Writing by Angus McDowall, Editing by William Maclean)