It’s not often that we get a glimpse behind the scenes of the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency—and one of the most covert organizations in the world. But that’s exactly what Yossi Cohen, who led the organization from 2016 to 2021, offers in his new book.
Released last week, The Sword of Freedom pulls back the curtain on Israel’s defiance in the face of never-ending existential threats. We’re delighted to share an excerpt from the book today.
As a Mossad agent in the 1990s, Cohen was tasked with recruiting a Hezbollah terrorist to reveal information on the status of two Israeli hostages. It’s the type of moral dilemma—and remarkable ingenuity—that characterizes the Mossad’s work.
Read the excerpt below. And make sure not to miss Cohen’s conversation with Bari, spanning his life as a Mossad agent, his leadership of the agency, the future of the Middle East, and more. —The Editors
Joseph Fink, known to everyone as Yossi, was born in Manchester, England, on June 2, 1965, and moved to Israel with his family at age 6. Quiet and shy, he was a perfectionist, a keen sportsman and musician who aspired to excellence in everything he did.
He was kind and attentive, nurturing his younger sisters by helping them with their studies. In 1983, he joined a program which allows Orthodox Jews to combine their religious studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces. They are enlisted for 16 months, rather than the usual three years.
Yossi proved to be a determined, adaptable soldier. Serving in an elite troop, he was being considered for promotion when, at midday on February 17, 1986, his military convoy was ambushed by Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. Yossi was hit several times and was unable to defend himself due to the severity of his wounds.
