Col. Netanel “Nati” Lasri, head of the planning department in the IDF Ground Forces and former commander of the Golan and Hermon Brigade, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer. He was 40. Lasri is survived by his wife and three children.
Born in Lod, Lasri enlisted in the IDF in 2004 and served as a soldier in the 401st Armored Brigade. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, he fought as a tank crewman and later rose through a series of command and staff positions.
He commanded platoons and companies in the Armored Corps, served as a battalion operations officer during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza and as deputy company commander during Operation Hot Winter. He later commanded the training company in the 52nd Battalion and then an operational company, leading his forces during Operation Pillar of Defense.
For his service, he received a certificate of excellence from the IDF chief of staff. He also received a certificate of appreciation from the commander of the Gaza Division for his role in helping repel a terrorist attack near the Israel-Egypt-Gaza border area.
Lasri later commanded the training company for tank commanders in the 196th Battalion of the 460th Brigade and took part in Operation Protective Edge in 2014. In 2015, he was appointed deputy commander of the 52nd Battalion and later served as assistant to the head of the Operations Directorate.
From 2019 to 2021, Lasri commanded the 9th Battalion. He later became operations officer of the 162nd Division.
In August 2023, he was appointed commander of the Golan and Hermon Brigade, but was forced to leave the post in 2024 because of his illness. In May 2025, he became head of the planning department in the Ground Forces, a position he held until his death.
Lasri held a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Bar-Ilan University, a master’s degree in organizational consulting from the College of Management and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Haifa.
The Iron Tracks association of the 401st Brigade said Lasri had spent much of his military career as a fighter and commander in the brigade, including as a company commander in the 52nd Battalion and commander of the 9th Battalion.
“Members of the brigade and his friends are deeply pained by his passing and share in the family’s grief,” the association said.