The Saad Truth with Dr. Saad My Chat with Yossi Cohen, Former Director of Mossad (The Saad Truth with Dr. Saad_881)
Sep 18, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Yossi Cohen, former director of Mossad and author of The Sword of Freedom, reflects on his unique experiences in intelligence. He discusses the challenges of recruitment, emphasizing family support and the pressure of covert life. Cohen candidly addresses the intelligence failures on October 7 and delves into Israel’s strategic choices in international engagement. He passionately advocates for better education to combat negative narratives and Jew-hatred, highlighting changes in UAE curricula as a positive step forward.
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How Mossad Recruits Operatives Today
- Yossi Cohen was recruited to Mossad after being approached while studying in London after the Lebanon war.
- He contrasts that with the modern option of volunteering via the Mossad website, which now attracts tens of thousands of CVs a year.
Family Buy-In Is Essential
- Cohen explains that Mossad recruits must have family support, particularly a spouse, because the job requires long absences and secrecy.
- He recounts cases where lack of family support forced operatives to resign for safety and stability reasons.
Eli Cohen's Family Knew
- Cohen clarifies that Eli Cohen's wife knew about his Mossad work while the children were too young to understand.
- He emphasizes the personal pressures families face when an operative's role involves high risk and secrecy.
