Emmanuel Moreno Emmanuel Yehuda Moreno ( Hebrew : עמנואל יהודה מורנו , ) ( June 17 , 1971 - August 18 , 2006 ) , was an Israeli Lieutenant Colonel of one of the Israel Defense Forces ' most elite units , Sayeret Matkal , who fell in combat at the end of the Second Lebanon War . Biography . Moreno was born in France , to Sylvia and Shlomo Ilan Moreno . Moreno ' s family made aliyah to Israel when he was one year old . Raised in Jerusalem , Emmanuel studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute , Paul Himmelfarb High School , and Bnei David pre - army mechina in Eli . Moreno served in Sayeret Matkal for 16 years , progressing through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel , a rank that was personally granted to him by the former head of the IDF Intelligence Division ( Hebrew : ראש אגף המודיעין ) , Major General Aharon Ze ' evi - Farkash . As this rank is equal to that of the Sayeret Matkal Commander , a role that Moreno did not fulfill , this was considered to be an exceptional event . The former Commander of Sayeret Matkal , Herzi Halevi ( Hebrew : הרצי הלוי ) , described Emmanuel ’ s unique character as an IDF combatant : “ If the IDF is the best military in the world , and Sayeret Matkal is the best unit in the IDF , and Emmanuel is the best soldier in the unit , then Emmanuel is the best soldier in the world . ” Herzi Halevi said this when Emmanuel was still alive . Avi Dichter , Israeli MK and former Minister of Internal Security , who also served in Sayeret Matkal , described Emmanuel as having served in the spearhead of his unit , “ an elite force within an elite force ” ( Hebrew : הסיירת של הסיירת ) . Through the years , Emmanuel was trained for special operations , requiring an extremely high level of skill and risk tolerance , far beyond that of the “ average ” soldier serving in Sayeret Matkal . Among other missions , Moreno participated in the apprehension of Lebanese guerrilla leader , Mustafa Dirani , from his home in Lebanon in 1994 , and commanded the rescue mission of taxi driver , Eliahu Gorel , who was kidnapped by Palestinians in 2003 and held in a basement near Ramallah . Many of the commando operations Moreno participated in are still classified . The IDF has not , to this day , released his photo to the public for reasons of national security . Though the IDF did not release information on the raid in which Moreno was killed , details were filtered to the Israeli media . According to the media , Moreno and his commando team was airdropped into the area by helicopter with two Humvee s . Their mission was to attack a Hezbollah base in the village of Bodei , near Baalbek , which was used by Hezbollah for weapons smuggling . The commando team was discovered around the heavily - guarded base , and a pitched battle ensued . Moreno was killed , and two officers were wounded . At least three Hezbollah fighters were also killed and two were reportedly taken prisoner . Close air support from fighter jets and attack helicopters prevented Hezbollah reinforcements from reaching the battle or encircling the commandos . The commandos were extracted , together with Moreno ' s body and the Hezbollah prisoners , after a lengthy firefight . Moreno lived in Tlamim , a moshav in the Hevel Lakhish region of southern Israel . Emmanuel , 35 years of age , was survived by his wife , Maya , and his three children . All four of his brothers served in elite IDF units , including his younger brother “ D ” , who continued in his path and later served in a high - ranking position within the same unit . Aftermath . Shortly after his death , Emmanuel was awarded with the Jerusalem Conference Award for Jewish Heroism ( sponsored by Channel 7 ) . He was also awarded the Begin Prize by the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem for his exceptional contribution to the State of Israel . With the Begin Committee ’ s decision to award him with the prize , Emmanuel was praised for his outstanding courage and strength of spirit . On April 27 , 2008 , the head of the IDF Intelligence Division awarded Emmanuel with the " Head of Regional Command Citation " ( Hebrew : צל " ש אלוף ) “ for his numerous years of dedication to the security of the State of Israel and his participation in several IDF operations throughout the Second Lebanon War . ” Following his death , Emmanuel ' s family established a nonprofit organization , B ' darkei Emmanuel ( In Emmanuel ' s Way ) , supporting educational and leadership initiatives for youth in Israel . In 2008 , a natural spring in Mevaseret Zion , Jerusalem was named after him .