One day after incorrect rumors spread about the recovery of Israeli spy Eli Cohen's remains from Syria, his brother, Avraham Cohen, told Ynet on Wednesday: "People love fake news. Everyone wants to be famous for knowing something, so they make things up and publish them irresponsibly. I looked into the claims circulating among the public and received confirmation that there’s no truth to them."
Numerous rumors suggested Cohen's remains had been returned from Syria, but security officials clarified the claims were false. Saudi TV network Al-Arabiya reported that the Mossad was allegedly working on locating Cohen’s remains and had connections with some rebel groups.
The rumors coincided with a Russian report of an unusual Israeli operation deep in Syria, alleging that an Israeli helicopter landed near a military site in the Damascus area on Monday evening.
Avraham shared that the family received inquiries from people asking if his brother's grave had indeed been located. "People asked on WhatsApp and other platforms if we’d received any updates. It was nonsense. We didn’t hear anything from the Mossad or anyone else. People spread rumors just because they feel like it," he said.
Regarding efforts to locate his brother's grave, Avraham added, "Hafez Assad once said they built an entire neighborhood over the area where Eli was buried. I don’t believe they’ll demolish the houses and find Eli’s grave."
"I want to tell the government that if there’s truth to the matter, they should approach us – even if it’s a lie," he stressed. "Spreading fake news to the public is irresponsible and hurts the family for no reason. It creates false hope and disappointment and there’s no need for that. We’ve suffered enough and irresponsible individuals shouldn’t spread baseless rumors. Of course, we’d be thrilled if this were true."
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Avraham noted that he discussed the matter with his niece Sophie, Eli’s daughter. "She agrees that unsubstantiated reports shouldn’t be spread. It’s certainly the heartfelt wish of many in Israel for Eli’s remains to be recovered and returned home. I don’t know if an active search is going on but we’ve been given hope. I sincerely hope it’ll come true this time."