Reservist Noam Sobovitz, 38, his wife Hila Salomon and their daughter Emmanuelle, in Bat Yam, March 4, 2026. LAURENCE GEAI /MYOP FOR LE MONDE
An 18-month-old girl crawls across the floor, smiling as she calls out to her father. He picks her up in his arms. The child's mother stands nearby in their Bat Yam apartment, south of Tel Aviv, bathed in the gentle late-afternoon light on Wednesday, March 4. Noam Sobovitz was set to leave the next day for northern Israel to rejoin his unit, the Egoz special forces. These were his last moments with family.
This 38-year-old filmmaker and former model has been serving with his unit since the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Egoz special forces, renowned for its counterinsurgency expertise, was about to be deployed again to fight Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, just as it was in 2024, when the Lebanese militia suffered heavy losses. Sobovitz was not overly concerned: "Honestly, it's easy to go to the front. You're with your friends, there's glory, adrenaline. Coming home and dealing with everyday life is almost harder."
On Sunday, March 1, the day after the United States and Israel launched their offensive against Iran, Israel called up 100,000 reservists, in addition to the 50,000 already mobilized. The Israeli army announced increased ground troop presence along the borders with Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Home Front Command, the military branch responsible for protecting Israeli civilians during conflict, alone mobilized 20,000 reservists. The air force, navy and intelligence services have also been reinforced.
