The Mossad has recovered a wristwatch that belonged to Eli Cohen, the Israeli spy who became a national hero after he was executed by Syria on May 18, 1965.
Cohen infiltrated Syria's leadership in the early 1960s and obtained top-secret intelligence before he was caught and executed.
Syria has refused to return Cohen's body to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Thursday the wristwatch was recovered "in a special Mossad operation which took place recently."
It said the watch had been held by an "enemy state" and that agents confirmed its authenticity.
"I commend the fighters of the Mossad for the determined and courageous operation, the sole objective of which was to return to Israel a memento from a great fighter who greatly contributed to the security of the state," Netanyahu said.
Cohen's widow, Nadia, told Israel Hayom that she was "very happy and excited" that her late husband's wristwatch had been recovered.
"There is a sense that something of Eli's that was part of him, his body, has come back home. It's tremendously exciting. I cried a lot and I hope and pray that … the Mossad will keep looking for Eli's remains so he can be brought home to Israel, and we and Eli can be at peace. Then we'll have a gravesite to visit, weep at, and tell him how much we miss him," she said.
Nadia Cohen said her family had known that the Mossad had recovered Eli's watch for some time, but chose to keep it quiet. She expressed her thanks to the Mossad and its director, Yossi Cohen.
Speaking at an annual memorial service held in Eli Cohen's memory, the Mossad chief said the watch was part of the spy's "fabricated Arab identity" and was worn by him until the day he died.
Eli Cohen's "dedication, determination, courage and love of the homeland is our heritage," the Mossad director said.
The watch is on display at Mossad headquarters and will be returned to Cohen's family in the fall. Nadia Cohen said she was pleased that people would see it and learn about her husband's heroism.
