''The Impossible Spy'' is a 1987 television film based on the true story of an Israeli civilian spy,

Eli Cohen Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen ( he, אֱלִיָּהוּ בֵּן שָׁאוּל כֹּהֵן‎, ar, إيلياهو بن شاؤول كوهين‎; 6 December 1924 – 18 May 1965), commonly known as Eli Cohen, was an Egyptian-born Israel ...

, who was recruited into Israel's secret intelligence agency (the Mossad) in the 1960s to become a spy in Damascus. Prior to his capture in 1965, Cohen was about to be appointed the third-most powerful figure in Syria—the Deputy Minister of Defense. Cohen's memorization of Syria's individual gun placements along the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

enabled Israel to defeat Syria in the Six-Day War in 1967. The film's executive producer was Harvey Chertok; it was directed by Jim Goddard and starred John Shea, Eli Wallach, and Sasson Gabai. ''The Impossible Spy'' was released in 1987 and won an HBO CableACE Award for Best Picture. * * *Goddard, Jim, John Shea, Eli Wallach, Sasson Gabay, Michal Bat-Adam, and Richard Hartley. ''The Impossible Spy''. Harrington Park, N.J.: Janson Media, 2005.

References

1987 films 1987 television films 1987 documentary films Spy television films Films directed by Jim Goddard American documentary television films CableACE Award winners Films set in Israel Films set in Syria Films set in the 1960s 1980s American films {{documentary-tv-film-stub