The most well-known fact about the Late Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Moreno is that it is still forbidden to show his picture in the media even posthumously. This rare prohibition is due to the fact that among the plethora of dangerous covert operations he carried out behind enemy lines are some which to this day cannot be disclosed.

Sixteen years ago today, on August 19, 2006, Emmanuel fell in battle in the Baalbek region in Lebanon. He was awarded the Head of Regional Command Citation for his life’s work. To this day, his legacy, his love of country and his Zionist spirit inspire youths in high schools, in the Pre-Military Academies and in the IDF’s command and leadership courses.

Emmanuel Moreno’s headstone
Emmanuel Moreno’s headstone in the Har Herzl Military Cemetery. Photo: Michael Revach

From Paris to Jerusalem 

Emmanuel was born in Paris, France. When he was one year old, he arrived in Israel with his parents, Ilan and Sylvia. They settled in the Sanhedria Neighborhood in Jerusalem, where Moreno was a member of the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement. Emmanuel went to school at the Himmelfarb and Hartmann High School in the city, following which he went to the second class of the Bnei David  Pre-Military Academy at Eli. He married Maya and raised their three children – Aviya, Neria and Noam Yisrael. The family took up residence in Tlamim in the Lachish District.

Sayeret Matkal and two operations we can talk about 

In August 1990 Emmanuel was conscripted into Sayeret Matkal where he served as a soldier. Among his crew mates was Naftali Bennett, who went on to become Israel’s 13th Prime Minister and Matan Kahana, who went on to become Minister of Religions and a member of the Yamina Party. After his discharge from the army, he studied law at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya while at the same time working for the GSS (General Security Services). Upon graduation he returned to the IDF, serving as a professional soldier in Sayeret Matkal.

Not much is known about Moreno’s exploits in the Unit. What the public is allowed to know is that he commanded a team which acquired combat knowledge and skills previously unknown in the IDF. In the course of his duty, he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, which is identical to that of the Unit Commander.

Of the many operations Emmanuel led and took part in, two have been declassified: in 1994 he took part in Operation Poisonous Sting, in which IDF forces – with Emmanuel among them – abducted the man that held Ron Arad captive – an IAF navigator. The man was Mustafa Dirani and he was abducted from his home in Lebanon. The second operation was in 2003, where Emmanuel commanded the rescue operation of taxi driver Eliahu Gurel, who had been abducted by Palestinians and held in a cellar in Beitunia in the Ramallah Region.

IDF Soldier - Illustration
Illustration

Disguised as a Lebanese Soldier: The Last Operation 

In 2006, after the second ceasefire in the Second Lebanon War came into effect, Moreno led some one hundred soldiers on an operation in the Baalbek area disguised as Lebanese Army soldiers. Despite the fact that the operation had been leaked to enemy media outlets, the senior echelons on the Israeli side decided to follow through with the operation, which indeed was successfully completed. On their way back Emmanuel’s force encountered a Hezbollah ambush and Emmanuel, who was seated in a jeep, sustained injuries and died of his wounds shortly afterwards. His security service, including the operation in which he lost his life, has been kept a closely-guarded secret.

Shema Israel: What would you do in the five final seconds of your life? 

“His courage and determination were an example to the Unit’s soldiers as he led them through enemy territory. Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Moreno led and participated in dozens of covert operations aimed at bolstering the State of Israel’s security”. So wrote Amos Yadlin, Military Intelligence Commander, posthumously.

It is said of Emmanuel that he was one of the greatest fighters ever to have served the People of Israel, and many name him the “World’s Best Soldier”. An exaggeration? Not really. Herzi Halevy, Deputy Chief of Staff and himself a former commander of Sayeret Matkal, explained why he was worthy of this moniker:

“If the IDF is the best army in the world, and if Sayeret Matkal is the best unit in the IDF, and Emmanuel is the best soldier in Sayeret Matkal – then that makes Emmanuel the best soldier in the world”.

This greatness was the result not only of outstanding physical and mental capabilities. A combination of the practical world and the spiritual world had a lot to do with it. Many stories have been written after Emmanuel fell in battle, reflecting the greatness of his soul. One of these stories is included in the compendium of short stories entitled “Silence Be Your Glory”, which describes his legacy.

About two weeks after an incident in which an IAF helicopter got hit in Lebanon at the cost of the lives of five soldiers, Emmanuel and his team mate sat and discussed what they would have done had they been sitting in a helicopter that got hit by a missile and they had only five more seconds to live. His mate answered that he would shut his eyes and hope it would all be over as quickly and painlessly as possible. Emmanuel responded that he would have recited the Shema Israel prayer. His mate wondered what good this or any other verse would have been in this situation – in any case he’d be dead in a matter of seconds. Emmanuel answered: “If a person has just five more seconds to live and there is still meaning to his life and to the hereafter in those five seconds, this would mean that his entire life has meaning. But on the other hand if a person has got just five more seconds to live and he doesn’t comprehend the importance of those five seconds, then that person’s whole life evidently is meaningless. Because we live not merely to satisfy our desires, or to enjoy ourselves and live for the moment. Our life is another step toward the step that follows”.

The Israel Defense and Security Forum bows its head in memory of Emmanuel and sends him its undying gratitude on behalf of the People of Israel.