A Londoner has been honoured as one of Israel’s most outstanding soldiers.

Sergeant Michael S — his full identity cannot be revealed — was selected for the Presidential List recognising top military personnel and presented to Israeli head of state Reuven Rivlin at a ceremony on Tuesday — Yom Ha’atzmaut.

“It’s a great privilege,” he said. “When they first told me about it I thought it was friends playing a joke on me.”

The 21-year-old soldier, originally from north London, serves in the Field Intelligence Unit, whose work involves covertly monitoring terrorists. “It’s quite a change from all the luxuries and comforts of life back home,” he said.

“The day-to-day job is collecting intelligence on the Lebanese border, which is the border with Hizbollah. Every week, we go out to an observation post in the field and stay for a couple of days collecting intelligence on a particular target. “You can be in an outpost hiding inside a bush or up a tree for two days or more, so it’s very a unique environment that can be quite challenging.”

There is no break for Shabbat and Michael sometimes even finds himself making kiddush behind a bush, with one eye on the enemy.

His superior officers selected him for the award citing his endurance, commitment and his strong performance in the field and in an unusually large number of specialised courses, including sniper training.

He said: “I just see myself as a normal soldier doing my service. I feel that should be the norm in the army.”

One area where he admits to being unusual is his down-time. Other soldiers may go for a smoke, but he is happiest with his head in a book about Israel’s history or Zionism.

He has been determined to make aliyah since his teens. “My mum told me: ‘Forget about it, you won’t make aliyah’. Now she’s very supportive.”