ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA) — An Amerian-Israeli man who grew up in Rockville, Maryland was killed in Israel Friday, according to the U.S. State Department.

Omer Balva, a reservist in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), was killed by Hezbollah missiles on the Lebanon border on Friday.

"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Israel on October 20. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the family's privacy during this difficult time, we have no further comment.

The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School identified Balva as the U.S. citizen killed. Balva attended the school from age seven until his high school graduation in 2019.

"The entire Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School community, including alumni, students, faculty, and staff, is completely devastated and heartbroken to learn of the killing of Omer Balva ’19, who was proudly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces having been recently called up for reserve duty," said Rabbi Mitchel Malkus, the head of the school, said in a statement.

Omer was a beloved student who attended our school from age seven through to his high school graduation. He was an unabashed advocate for the State of Israel. He is a hero to the State of Israel, the Jewish people, and the school. We mourn his loss

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington also posted about Balva on its Facebook page: "We mourn the heartbreaking loss of Omer Balva, a dual citizen of Israel and America, who lived in Rockville and was an alumnus of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. Omer returned to Israel to report for duty last week and was killed last night in an anti-tank missile attack along the border with Lebanon."

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