The area around the village of Beit Lif in the western sector of southern Lebanon, where four Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion soldiers were killed Monday, is infested with Hezbollah terrorists, according to IDF officials.
The fallen soldiers were identified as Capt. Noam Madmoni, 22, of Sderot, a team commander; Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, 21, of Lehavim; Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis, 21, of Bat Yam; and Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel, 21, of Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut.
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Capt. Noam Madmoni, Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis, Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel
(Photo: IDF)
Troops are operating there to push Hezbollah fighters farther up the area’s steep terrain, with the objective of seizing commanding ground along a ridge overlooking the Israeli border communities of Zarit and Shtula.
The clash unfolded at about 6:30 p.m. Monday as a Nahal reconnaissance force moved through Beit Lif. The infantry unit halted, sent a tank force ahead of it and then resumed advancing on foot. At that stage, the unit’s forward element moved ahead, with troops from the Oketz canine unit and their dogs leading the way, in an effort to cross a road.
The lead element then came under short-range fire, setting off a battle that left one soldier dead and three others wounded. Moments later, another squad under the command of Capt. Noam Madmoni charged forward, but came under fire from the rear and the flank. That burst of fire killed the officer and two additional soldiers.
The commander of the Nahal Brigade and the commander of the reconnaissance battalion were both at the front during the incident, and forces began evacuating the wounded and the dead under fire. During the rescue effort, Hezbollah terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at the troops, which missed them.
IDF officials said airstrikes are being carried out continuously in the area, but said ground forces are still required to reach and seize dominant terrain. They said troops are advancing in a formation that prioritizes security over speed. During ground operations, forces have seized large quantities of weapons, they said, including RPG missiles, heavy machine guns and ammunition.
Four other soldiers were wounded in two separate incidents during fighting in southern Lebanon, after indirect fire and a Hezbollah drone strike hit near Israeli forces.
In a separate incident in southern Lebanon in which two UN peacekeepers were killed, the military is investigating whether they were hit by Hezbollah fire or Israeli fire. The army’s current assessment is that they may have been killed after entering an area rigged with explosives, though the circumstances remain under review.
Meanwhile, the IDF said Hezbollah fire toward Israeli forces and the Israeli home front has declined as about 30 rockets crossed into Israeli territory over the past 24 hours.
'We're making history, you’ll learn about it in school'
Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis, 21, from Bat Yam, enlisted in the military in November 2023. He is survived by his parents, Larisa and Leon, and two older siblings, Eddie and Jenia. His funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday at the military cemetery in Holon.
His last conversation with his family was a week earlier, over Zoom, before entering Lebanon. “He showed us his gear, all packed for going into the war in Lebanon,” his brother Eddie recalled. “I can’t forget what he said to his 7-year-old niece: ‘I’m going to make history. You’ll learn about it in school.’”
His siblings said Maxsim had wanted a combat role and was determined to serve specifically in the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion. “He wanted the most demanding combat service,” they said. “His message to the world was, ‘Everything is OK, no matter how hard it is.’ That is how we will remember him. He would walk into a room and immediately spread his light and energy. He was positive and lifted everyone up with his huge heart. He wanted the best in the army. Before enlisting, he trained in the sand dunes to fulfill his dream of getting into the battalion.”
Capt. Noam Madmoni, 22, of Sderot, a team commander in the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion, attended the Torani Hadash elementary school in the city and later studied at the yeshiva high school in Kfar Maimon. He was also a member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement.
He is survived by his parents, Boaz and Sharona, his brother Uri and his sisters Hadar and Aviya.
The Sderot municipality said it had received word “with deep sorrow and great pain” of Madmoni’s death in the clash with Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. “Alongside him, three of his brave soldiers also fell, and we send our condolences to their families,” the municipality said.
Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, 21, of Lehavim, was an avid supporter of the Hapoel Be’er Sheva soccer club. “He never missed a home or away match, going back to the days of Gate 5 at Vasermil,” the club said in a statement.
His funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday at the cemetery in Lehavim. Cohen had previously told his family that if the worst were to happen, he wanted everyone attending his funeral to wear a red shirt.
One of his close friends, Niv Vaknin, a player on Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s youth team, paid tribute in a message shared publicly. “My best friend. A week ago you told me your dream was to wear a shirt with my name on the back,” Vaknin wrote. “You were my partner in everything. I love you more than anything in the world. I will honor your memory everywhere. How do we go on from here?”
Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel, 21, of Modi’in, was a graduate of the Yahad school. He is survived by his parents, Keren and Eitan, and his sister Adi.
Modi’in Mayor Haim Bibas paid tribute to Harel, saying the city had received word of his death “with great sorrow and deep pain.”
“In my name and on behalf of the residents of Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, I share in the heavy grief of the entire family and his friends,” Bibas said. “May Gilad’s memory be a blessing.”