The head of the Mossad, Dedi Barnea, revealed for the first time the last telegram received from the late Eli Cohen, before his capture – as well as intelligence information on the reasons for his capture.
Barnea participated today in the dedication ceremony of the National Museum named after Eli Cohen, in Herzliya. The telegram will be deposited in the state archives and a copy of it will be transferred to the museum.
In a telegram, dated the day of Cohen’s supposed capture, January 19, 1965, the Mossad fighter who operated in Syria reported on a meeting held at the Syrian General Staff the night before with the participation of the then Syrian President, Amin Al Hafez, and senior officers.
Barnea said at the ceremony that “Eli Cohen was one of the best fighters. He continues to influence us and instill in us a fighting spirit, courage, values and dedication – also from the depths of history. He is a source of inspiration not only for today’s fighters, but for all Mossad employees, in their various roles. We all learn from him , even today, what is Zionism, what is sacrifice and what is self-sacrifice.”
Barnea also said that “the reason for Eli Cohen’s arrest has always been subject to controversy, did he broadcast too much, did he not act according to the instructions, did the headquarters demand that he broadcast more intensively than necessary, and the issue was at the heart of a debate for many years. I am taking advantage of the sanctity of this place And this special event is to reveal for the first time, and this after deep research that was done recently, that Eli Cohen was not captured because of the amount of broadcasts he broadcast, or because of pressure exerted on him from headquarters to broadcast with great urgency. Eli Cohen was captured only because his broadcasts were picked up by the enemy, they were simply picked up and processed. From now on it’s an intelligence fact.”
We should note that over the years Cohen’s relatives claimed that in the last period before his arrest, he already felt that he was in danger, but his operatives in Israel pressured him to continue his activities.
Barnea added that the Mossad has worked and will continue to work to bring new information and details about the period in which Eli Cohen served in Syria, and will continue to work to have his bones buried in Israel.
“Eli is a symbol of many fighters, each of whom acted in his generation, for many decades, and each of them risked his life, acted with professionalism and dedication, and made his own contribution to the security fabric of the State of Israel and the people of Israel. Even from the distance of the years, we salute a brave warrior who was at the forefront of combat The secret of the Mossad and of the State of Israel, respect his memory and learn from his legacy.”