Israel’s president called for the return of the remains of a spy executed by Syria. Moshe Katsav’s office said Thursday he had requested the body of Eli Cohen from Syrian President Bashar Assad, using European intermediaries. Cohen, an Egyptian-born Mossad agent, spent years under deep cover in Syria, supplying Israel with key strategic intelligence. He was caught and executed in Damascus in 1965. There was no immediate comment from Syria, despite its recent peace overtures to Israel.
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