A photograph shows a soldier smashing the face of a religious icon with a sledgehammer or the blunt side of an axe. Israeli authorities have confirmed the photograph's authenticity. Israel has acknowledged and condemned the apparent desecration by an Israeli soldier of a statue of crucified Jesus in South Lebanon.
The incident was captured in Debel, a Christian village located approximately 6 kilometres from Lebanon's border with Israel. -brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. A local page from the Christian border town of Debel mentioned that the statue belonged to them.
I commend Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar for apologising over the desecration of the statue of Jesus.
The photograph appears to have been first posted on social media by Younis Tirawi, who describes himself as a Palestinian journalist. Residents had largely remained in the village throughout the Israeli campaign in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military confirmed that the photo, showing a statue of Jesus turned upside down and off its cross, was authentic.
The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops. The IDF said the incident is being further investigated, and appropriate measures will be taken against those involved. Military authorities were conducting a criminal probe and the offender would be subject to harsh disciplinary action.
Israel should learn from the incident, with IDF soldiers themselves admitting to war crimes, killing not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages.
The identity and current status of the soldier who damaged the statue remain unknown. The specific disciplinary or legal actions being taken against the soldier have not been detailed publicly. The Israeli military was working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place.
The exact timeline and progress of the statue's restoration are unclear. The IDF is operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols. The defacement triggered a heated debate on X between the Israeli government and Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski.
Sikorski's comments referenced Israel's large operation in Gaza where more than 70,000 Palestinians were killed as well as Israeli hostages — collaterals of air and ground strikes. The two-year offensive came in response to Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023. -Israeli war with Iran.
The Israeli operation has displaced more than 1 million people, and killed nearly 2,300, according to Lebanese officials. The broader impact of the incident on Israel-Lebanon relations and the ceasefire stability is uncertain. Whether the incident was an isolated act or part of a pattern of behavior by Israeli soldiers in the area has not been determined.