Israeli soldiers arrested for desecrating Christ statue in Lebanon

Two Israeli soldiers have been placed under arrest for 30 days and will be suspended from combat duty for destroying a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon.

This was stated in a release by the IDF.

The decision came after widespread condemnation of a photo circulating online, which shows an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a fallen statue of the crucified Jesus.

The sculpture was located in the Christian village of Debl in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel.

Releasing the findings of the investigation into the incident, the military stated that "the soldier who damaged the Christian symbol and the soldier who photographed the act will be removed from combat duty and will receive 30 days of military arrest."

The statement noted that six other soldiers who "were present at the scene and did not take any action to stop the incident or report it" were summoned for "clarification discussions."

"The investigation found that the soldiers' behavior was completely contrary to the orders and values of the IDF," the military statement said.

It added that "operations in Lebanon are directed solely against the terrorist organization Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, and not against Lebanese civilians."

In a post on the X website, the Israeli military stated that the damaged sculpture in Debl was replaced by troops "in full coordination with the local community," and shared a photo of the new statue.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he was "stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon," and vowed to "take harsh disciplinary action against the offender."

Source: euronews