Cohen immediately re-established contact with him and gradually became an important character is Damascan polite society. You might see him at ministry meetings, attending press conferences, hosting receptions etc. In short, he had created a lifestyle and populated it with two men who would become his chief informants. One of these was Seif Georges, a top civil servant at the Ministry of Information. The other was Colonel Hatoum, an elite unit commander in the Syrian Army. Cohen's relationship with these two men would be very shrewd and perhaps even a little perverse.
Both men had mistresses. However, in Damascus, extra-marital affairs had to remain confidential. In an act of friendship, Cohen suggested that they use his flat to meet their girlfriends and did not hesitate to provide them with a set of keys to the apartment. He was playing a dangerous game: his transmitter was hidden there, after all. Yet when the two men went to the apartment, they had other things on their mind than rummaging through his belongings!
Regardless of this, Cohen was taking a great risk. As he became increasingly confident, he began to neglect his safety, which was to end up costing him dear. In the meantime, however, his suggestion was a master-stroke and neither of the two men refused his offer. Cohen event went further, suggesting that he invite the two men over to spend an evening or two with other pretty girls. Israel has always claimed that Cohen played no direct involvement in these parties, understandably not wanting to dent the image of their hero. Cohen was married with children and was a practising Jew. Whatever his attitude to the parties themselves, the Israeli spy sent back vital information to Mossad and his effectiveness was outstanding.
On three occasions, under the pretext of travelling to Switzerland on business, Cohen was able to make brief stops in Israel. During these stays, as well as being debriefed by his bosses, Cohen was also allowed to see his wife and children. His last visit was in November 1964, when both his family and his superiors remarked how exhausted he looked. He was certainly tired and would no doubt have much preferred to end his mission and remain in Israel. He was aware that he could be unmasked at any time and that his situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Would his superiors in Mossad have understood? They could not ignore the fact that given Cohen's low morale and the longevity of his mission, there was a high probability that he might be arrested. The more time that passed the greater the chance of the Syrian intelligence agencies intercepting Cohen's secret messages. Yet the information he was gathering was so important that Mossad could hardly just give up. They were tempted to exploit Cohen's services right to the end, even if they eventually lost. There was little time for sentiment.
However, we must also question whether or not Cohen's destiny had already been planned and the consequences of such an event happening: the sudden revelation that the Syrian government, army and intelligence agencies had been infiltrated by the Israelis would only induce panic.What if there were other spies as well? In short, it could lead to the beginning of a wave of espionage mania, where everyone would suspect everything and the entire Syrian governmental system would break down.
In truth, this is what did happen after Cohen was captured. Hundreds of people were arrested, with some being tried and sentenced to death. The simple fact of having crossed Cohen's path at some point was enough to make you a suspect. So the question remains this: did Mossad have it all planned and were prepared to abandon Cohen completely, once his mission was completed? At the time everyone knew that sooner or later a new war would break out within the Arab countries. In such a case, what is one man's life worth? On his return to Damascus, Cohen went into a frenzy, sending message after message every day and always at the same time. Although he was taking the risk of being discovered, his superiors at Mossad could have advised him to take more care. But they did not and his capture was inevitable.
In January 1965, the Syrians, backed up by Soviet experts, used special equipment to locate the exact place where Cohen had hidden his transmitter. They broke down the door to his apartment and stormed in, just as he was about to send another message. There was nothing he could do and the Syrians immediately tried to send a false message back to Tel Aviv. However, the special ‘signature', unique to each operator naturally betrayed them and Mossad quickly realised that their agent in Damascus had fallen into Syrian hands.
Eli Cohen was put on trial, but the verdict was a foregone conclusion. The sentence could only be death. Even the two French lawyers who were supposed to defend him were not allowed to attend the trial! Cohen was said to have displayed immense courage and had admitted nothing, even under torture. He simply stated that he was a soldier of the Nation of Israel.
Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman
65
If Cohen (and his superiors) had been more careful, he could have saved his life. In November 1964 he was on leave in Israel to attend the birth of his third child. Cohen had hinted to Mossad that he hoped, after four years abroad, that he would be able to retire to a more relaxed life. He also explained that he was afraid of Colonel Ahmed Suedani, the head of Syrian Army Intelligence. Unfortunately, Mossad paid no attention. Tensions on the border were escalating and the possibility of war seemed increasingly serious. It was vital for them to have someone in Damascus, so they persuaded Cohen to
