A photograph shows a soldier smashing the face of a religious icon with a sledgehammer or the blunt side of an axe. The Israeli authorities have confirmed the photograph's authenticity, and 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. The cross was part of a small shrine in the garden of a family living on the edge of the village. Residents had largely remained in the village throughout the Israeli campaign in southern Lebanon, which has involved extensive military operations in the region.
Military authorities were conducting a criminal probe and the offender would be subject to harsh disciplinary action. The Israeli military was working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place, according to sources familiar with the efforts.
The damaging of a Christian religious symbol by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon is grave and disgraceful and I apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt.
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, as stated by military officials.
The incident comes amid a 10-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Israel invaded southern Lebanon and has attacked the country from the air after strikes by the country's Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, escalating tensions in the region.
The Israeli operation has displaced more than 1 million people, and killed nearly 2,300, according to Lebanese officials, highlighting the humanitarian toll of the conflict.
I am confident that the necessary strict measures will be taken against whoever carried out this ugly act.
The photograph appears to have been first posted on social media by Younis Tirawi, who describes himself as a Palestinian journalist, bringing the incident to public attention.
Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski commended Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar for apologising over the desecration. Sikorski stated that Israel should learn from the incident, with IDF soldiers admitting to war crimes and killing not only civilian Palestinians but even their own hostages. Sikorski's comments referenced Israel's large operation in Gaza where more than 70,000 Palestinians were killed as well as Israeli hostages as collaterals of air and ground strikes, according to his statements.
Gideon Sa'ar responded by accusing Sikorski of spreading defamatory statements about the IDF. Sa'ar stated that the IDF is a professional and ethical army and that no serious army of any Western democracy does not seek to learn from the IDF and its experience, as per his remarks.
The two-year offensive came in response to Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, providing context for the broader conflict.
The identity and specific unit of the Israeli soldier who damaged the statue remain unknown, as do the exact date and time when the desecration incident occurred. The current status of the criminal investigation and what disciplinary actions, if any, have been taken against the soldier are also unclear. Additionally, the specific motivations or circumstances that led the soldier to damage the statue have not been disclosed, and the full extent of damage to the statue and the timeline for its restoration are yet to be detailed.