Epstein Was Not the First

The original Mossad spy who infiltrated the Syrian elite

In the bustling heart of Damascus, a charismatic businessman named Kamal Amin Thabet charmed Syrian elites, hosting lavish parties and rubbing shoulders with military generals and Ba’ath Party insiders. Unbeknownst to his high-powered friends, however, Thabet was no Syrian patriot. He was Eli Cohen, a spy for Israeli Mossad, who was covertly transmitting secrets that would alter the course of history in the Middle East.

Eli Cohen in 1959

In the early 1960s, the Middle East simmered with tension. Israel in its modern form was still quite young, and it faced threats from its Arab neighbors. Syria was of particular concern, as its fortified positions in Golan Heights loomed over the North. Amid rising hostilities and fragile new alliances, fledgling Israel needed precise intelligence. Enter Eli Cohen, a daring clandestine operative whose infiltration of Syria’s political and military circles provided Israel with a then-unprecedented control over their target countries, and a deep look into…