While traveling, I took note of the graffiti on a bomb shelter at a bus terminal, which says “Remember First Sergeant Ben Cohen of blessed memory.”
According to the reports, Ben Cohen served as a combat soldier (לוחם) in the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion (934th)— the Nahal Brigade’s commando/reconnaissance unit. He was not a commander; his team commander was Capt. Noam Madmoni. During the fatal engagement at Beit Lif, he was part of a squad that charged forward to seize commanding ground when Hezbollah fighters opened close-range fire.
The outcome:
The Beit Lif Engagement — 30 March 2026, ~6:30 PM
The ambush: A Nahal 934th reconnaissance squad, advancing on foot through Beit Lif with Oketz bomb-sniffing dogs, was hit as it crossed a local road. Hezbollah Radwan elements detonated IEDs, launched mortars, and opened fire with small arms and machine guns. In the first burst, one soldier was killed and three wounded. A nearby rescue squad charged forward to extract the casualties but was hit from the rear and flank, killing three more, including the team leader, Cpt. Noam Madmoni.
Casualties:
- 4 killed: Cpt. Noam Madmoni (22, Sderot), SSG Ben Cohen (21, Lehavim), SSG Maxim Antis, SSG Gilad Harel (21, Modi’in)
- 3 wounded: one seriously, two moderately
- During the evacuation, Hezbollah fired ATGMs at supporting tanks (reportedly missed).
- Follow-up: In the days after the engagement, Nahal troops killed three Hezbollah gunmen in close-quarters combat. The IDF confirmed through intelligence that these were the same fighters responsible for the four deaths.
- Strategic outcome: In the immediate aftermath, the IDF launched a broader operation to seize the Beit Lif ridge, a strategic high ground overlooking the central sector facing the Israeli communities of Shtula and Zar’it. The 162nd Division continued its advance through the sector as part of the ongoing “Lion’s Roar” campaign.
Here are the details:
- Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen (סמ”ר בן כהן) — “Ben” is his first name (בן), and Cohen (כהן) is the surname, not a compound “Ben-Cohen.”
- Born & raised in: Lehavim (להבים), a town in the Negev, southern Israel. Son of Sarit and Tzvika; brother of Shai. An avid Hapoel Be’er Sheva FC supporter.
- Unit: Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion(934th), Nahal Brigade.
- Where he fell: The village of Beit Lif (בית ליף), in the western sector of southern Lebanon, during a close-range ambush by Hezbollah terrorists on 30 March 2026. He was 21.
- Buried at: The military cemetery in Lehavim.
A local soccer club, M.K. Benko Lehavim, was subsequently founded in his memory and plays in League C South.
Lion’s Roar:
- Operation “Lion’s Roar” (שאגת הארי, Sha’agat Ha’ari) is the Israeli component of a joint US-Israeli war that began in late February 2026, with the US side designated “Operation Epic Fury.” It has two main fronts:
1. Against Iran (air campaign):
- ~10,800 strikes on strategic targets
- 8,500+ aircraft sorties
- ~250 air-defense systems dismantled
- 60% of Iranian missile launchers neutralized
2. Against Hezbollah in Lebanon (ground + air):
- Five brigades operating simultaneously across southern Lebanon
- ~600 km² of Lebanese territory seized, establishing a contiguous security buffer south of the Litani River
- 2,000+ Hezbollah fighters eliminated (as of May 2026)
- 7,183+ Hezbollah assets destroyed (launchers, tunnels, depots)
- 14,900+ artillery strikes; 5,000+ targets struck
- 28+ senior militant leaders killed
- Objectives: Disarm Hezbollah, eliminate the threat to Israel’s northern communities, and impose a new “Yellow Line” security reality. IDF Chief of Staff Zamir stated the campaign “will not conclude before the threat from Lebanon is eliminated.”
- Ceasefire: A ceasefire was reached around April 8–9, 2026 (after ~40 days of active combat). However, the IDF continues operations even during the truce — including cross-border strikes into the Bekaa Valley and the Lebanon mountains — and maintains its ground presence in the buffer zone.
In prayer, remember and comfort Ben’s parents Sarit and Tzvika; and his brother, Shai.