Lt. Col. Emanuel Moreno's name has become synonymous with Sayeret Matkal, the IDF's elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, yet remarkably little is known about the man himself or the operations in which he participated. His photograph remains classified even today, much of his operational history is still under wraps, and only a handful of the missions he led have been made public.
As Israel marks the twentieth anniversary of his death during the Second Lebanon War, we revisit the story of a warrior who participated in dozens of covert operations, nearly became a lawyer, commanded a hostage rescue mission, and fell during a deep-penetration raid in Lebanon. Here are ten things you may not have known about Emanuel Moreno.
1. He was born in Paris
Moreno was born in 1971 in Paris to Sylvia and Ilan Moreno. When he was just one year old, his family immigrated to Israel. He grew up in Jerusalem, was active in the Bnei Akiva youth movement, and attended the Himmelfarb and Hartman high schools. Later, he joined the second cohort of the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli.
2. His grandmother was on the Entebbe hijacking flight
Emanuel's grandmother, Ninette Moreno, was among the passengers aboard the Air France flight hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976. She was released along with other foreign nationals, and upon her return provided Israeli security officials with information that aided preparations for Operation Yonatan, the legendary rescue mission, years before her grandson would himself become a commando in Sayeret Matkal.
3. He served alongside Naftali Bennett and Matan Kahana
Moreno enlisted in the IDF in August 1990 and volunteered for Sayeret Matkal, where he served for many years. Among his teammates in "Team Giora" were Naftali Bennett, who would later become Israel's prime minister, and Matan Kahana, a future government minister. Moreno continued on the operational track within the unit and eventually became one of its senior figures.
4. He nearly became a lawyer
Alongside his security career, Moreno completed a law degree at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and even began an internship at a law firm. He simultaneously worked for the Shin Bet internal security service, but ultimately did not complete the legal internship, choosing instead to return to Sayeret Matkal. He later commanded a company that developed new operational capabilities.
5. Most of his missions remain classified
Throughout his service, Moreno participated in and led dozens of covert operations, but only a few have been disclosed to the public. The citation for the medal of valor awarded posthumously noted that he led and participated in "dozens of clandestine operational activities" for Israel's security. Even today, a significant portion of his work remains classified.
6. He participated in the abduction of Mustafa Dirani
One of the few operations in which his participation has been publicly acknowledged was "Operation Venomous Sting" in 1994. During that mission, a Sayeret Matkal force penetrated into Lebanon and abducted Mustafa Dirani from his home. Dirani was believed at the time to possess information about the fate of captured Israeli navigator Ron Arad.
7. He commanded the rescue of a kidnapped taxi driver
In 2003, taxi driver Eliyahu Gurel was kidnapped and held by Palestinians in a basement in Bitunia, near Ramallah. Moreno commanded the Sayeret Matkal rescue operation that located and freed Gurel alive. This was one of the few operations from Moreno's long career about which details have been publicly released.
8. He received a personal rank promotion
In 2005, then-head of Military Intelligence Aharon Zeevi-Farkash awarded Moreno the rank of lieutenant colonel as a personal promotion. This was an exceptional rank for his position; at that time, it was also the rank held by the commander of Sayeret Matkal itself. Moreno received it after years of operational activity and command within the unit.
9. His face remains classified even after death
Moreno represents an unusual case in the IDF: despite the many years that have passed since his death, his photograph remains classified due to the sensitive nature of the positions he held. As a result, his name and story have become well known throughout Israel, while his face and many of the missions in which he participated remain hidden from public view.
10. He fell during a deep-penetration mission in Lebanon
On August 19, 2006, after the ceasefire ending the Second Lebanon War had already taken effect, Moreno led a force of approximately one hundred fighters on an operation near Baalbek in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. The force arrived in two Yasur helicopters, with the commandos disguised as Lebanese Army soldiers. On the return journey, the force encountered a Hezbollah ambush. Moreno was wounded and died shortly afterward from his injuries. He was 35 years old, married to Mia, and the father of three children.
