Trailer released for Netflix miniseries The Spy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Israeli agent Eli Cohen

Eli Cohen became an Israeli counterintelligence analyst after moving to the newly-formed state from Egypt.

After being rejected by Mossad, he spent two years as a filing clerk in Tel Aviv before being selected to infiltrate the Syrian government in the 1960s.

He was given six months intensive Mossad training and a fake identity as a Syrian businessman.

In 1965, the Syrian government uncovered his double-agent status and he was executed.

Eli Cohen (Image: State of Israel)

The series focuses on the toll the spy’s double life takes on his family and his own mental health.

According to the show’s synopsis, his character “wants nothing more than to be of service to his country, but he does his job so well that he finds it hard to strip off his double identity.”

The role is in stark contrast to Mr Baron Cohen's previous role. He played a spoof ex-Mossad agent Erran Morrad in his satirical TV show Who Is America?, which aired last year.

The Spy is to stream on Netflix from September 6.