IDF Commando Emmanuel Moreno Remembered 20 Years After Fallen in Lebanon War

Emmanuel Moreno, a highly respected officer in the IDF's elite Sayeret Matkal unit, is commemorated 20 years after his death during the Second Lebanon War. Born in Paris in 1971, Moreno immigrated to Israel as a baby and grew up in Jerusalem. His grandmother was a passenger on the 1976 Air France hijacking to Entebbe and contributed intelligence to the rescue operation years before Moreno himself became a commando.

Moreno enlisted in the IDF in 1990 and volunteered for Sayeret Matkal, serving alongside future Israeli politicians Naftali Bennett and Matan Kahana. He pursued a law degree and began a legal internship while working for Shin Bet but ultimately returned to full-time military service, leading operational units that developed new tactical capabilities.

Throughout his career, Moreno participated in dozens of covert operations, most of which remain classified. Notably, he took part in the 1994 "Operation Sting" that abducted Mustafa Dirani from Lebanon, seeking information on missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad. In 2003, Moreno commanded the successful rescue of kidnapped taxi driver Eliyahu Goral from a Palestinian hideout in Beitunia.

In 2005, he was awarded the personal rank of lieutenant colonel by then-head of Military Intelligence Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash, an unusual honor reflecting his exceptional service. Despite his prominence, Moreno's photograph remains classified due to the sensitive nature of his missions.

Moreno was killed on August 19, 2006, shortly after the ceasefire in the Second Lebanon War had begun. Leading about 100 soldiers disguised as Lebanese army troops in an operation near Baalbek, his unit was ambushed by Hezbollah forces during extraction. He succumbed to his wounds at age 35, leaving behind his wife Maya and three children.