(born February 17, 1984 in Holland, Pennsylvania - died August 1, 2006 in Ayta ash-Shab, Lebanon) was an Israeli soldier who emigrated from the United States and joined the Paratroopers Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. Levin took part in the first round of fighting in the Lebanese town of Ayta ash-Sha’b during the Second Lebanon War. His friend Omer Yaniv, from the same paratrooper unit, gave a graphic description of the chaotic circumstances surrounding Levin’s death. The 890th Paratrooper battalion came under heavy small arms and RPG fire as they advanced into the town. The soldiers could not identify the source of the fire. The battalion’s units got separated when running for cover. Levin’s platoon hid in the back room and toilet of an empty store. A Hezbollah fighter managed to get close and fire straight into the small room, hitting Levin in the head. Many of Levin's comrades where shocked by his death and couldn't continue to function. Only three soldiers in his unit continued to fight. After several hours reinforcements finally reached the building and managed to extract the casualties.
Levin was one of three Israeli soldiers killed in Ayta ash-Sha'b that day. Another 25 soldiers were wounded. For several hours, the Israeli soldiers fought fiercely and killed some 15 Hezbollah fighters, according to the IDF. The wounded were treated at the spot under heavy fire, as an evacuation was deemed almost impossible.
A local commander of Hezbollah after the war guided al-Jazeera though Ayta ash-Sha’b and showed them the store where the paratroopers where holed up, and where Michael Levin was killed.
A memorial for Levin was erected at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, the site of a major battle during the Six-Day War.
