IDF soldier is pictured smashing a statue of Jesus with an axe in Lebanon
A soldier from the Israel Defence Forces has been photographed striking a statue of Jesus with an axe in Lebanon.
The Israeli military responded, saying it views the incident with ‘great severity’ and that ‘the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops’.
The image shows the soldier wielding the axe in Debl, a Christian village in south Lebanon near the border with Israel.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East crisis in early March when the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in support of the Islamic Republic.
Israel responded with a bombing campaign across Lebanon and an invasion of the south, where the IDF has remained despite a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries.
Following the circulation of the photograph, the Israeli military said the incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and ‘is currently being addressed through the chain of command’.
‘Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings,’ the IDF said in a statement posted on X.
‘Furthermore, the IDF is working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place.’
A soldier from the Israel Defence Forces has been photographed striking a statue of Jesus with an axe in Lebanon
The post continued: ‘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.’
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, criticised what he called a ‘shameful and disgraceful’ act.
‘I am confident that necessary severe measures will be taken against whoever committed this ugly act,’ he wrote on X.
‘We apologise for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt,’ he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the behaviour in a lengthy post on X, writing: ‘As the Jewish state, Israel cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths.
‘All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region. Yesterday, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon.
‘I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.’
Israel’s military on Monday warned Lebanese civilians against returning to dozens of villages in the southern, claiming Hezbollah’s activities in the area were violating a ceasefire agreement struck last week.
Thousands of displaced residents have begun making their way back to parts of southern Lebanon since the truce between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Friday.
Since the ceasefire began, Lebanon’s armed forces have reopened a key road linking the southern city of Nabatiyeh with the Khardali area after it was closed due to Israeli strikes.
They have also partially restored access to the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge which was damaged due to Israeli attacks.
But the Israeli military on Monday urged civilians to avoid returning to numerous villages in the south.
Civilians inspect buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks as Lebanese people who were displaced are returning to their homes after six weeks following the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon
A woman surveys the damage of her home that was destroyed by an Israeli air-strike that killed seven of her neighbors in Nabatieh on the second day of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, on April 18
Civilians, who returned to their homes following the ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump, flee the region once again due to ongoing security risks in Sidon, southern Lebanon on April 18
‘Hezbollah has continued its terrorist activity during the ceasefire in violation of the agreement; accordingly, the IDF remains deployed in the defensive area,’ the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee said on X.
‘For your safety and the safety of your families, and until further notice, we urge you not to move south of the Forward Defence Line,’ he said, referring to a boundary marking an area occupied by Israeli troops.
On Saturday, senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qamati also warned residents against returning.
‘Israeli treachery is expected at any time, and this is a temporary truce,’ he said.
‘Take a breath, relax a little, but do not abandon the places you have taken refuge in until we are completely reassured about your return’ to your homes, he said.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the military had been ordered to use ‘full force’ against any threats in Lebanon even during the ceasefire.
He also vowed to level homes allegedly used by Hezbollah, with Lebanese state media reporting that demolitions were underway.
The military published a map showing its ‘forward defence line’ and an area stretching the length of the Israel-Lebanon border where it said its forces were operating to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and ‘prevent direct threats to communities in northern Israel’.
So far, the war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 civilians and 15 soldiers in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states.
Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
