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Two Israeli soldiers are sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in the Christian village of Debel , Lebanon .
Confirmed
Israel Defense Forces say the ‘soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and value’ Israel Defense Forces say the ‘soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and value’ Two Israeli soldiers have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in jail after one used a sledgehammer to smash a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon while the other filmed him, the Israel Defense Forces have said.
The IDF said it had removed from combat duty both the soldier who damaged the statue and the one who filmed the act, sentencing them to 30 days in military prison. The Israeli military posted a photo on social media of the replacement crucifix, which appeared smaller but more ornate than the original statue smashed by the soldier, and said the sculpture was replaced by troops a short while ago, “in full coordination with the local community”.
Commenting on the recent defacing of the Jesus statue, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia said to the Italian broadcaster La7: “I would like to point out to Benjamin Netanyahu that Jesus himself went to Tyre and Sidon, in southern Lebanon.
In a separate statement, the military said that troops went to Debel to replace the damaged statue with a new one. “The inquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values,” the military said.
“The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident,” the military said, adding that it “expresses deep regret over the incident, and is working to ensure that it does not happen again in the future.
Residents said the statue had stood on a crucifix outside a family home on the edge of Debel, one of the few villages where civilians have remained despite Israel’s ongoing war with Hezbollah. Zamir, who “condemned the incident and stated that it constitutes unacceptable conduct and a moral failure, far exceeding any acceptable standard and contradicting IDF values and the expected conduct of its troops,” the military said.
The IDF said it “expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasizes that its operations in Lebanon are directed solely against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and other terrorist groups, and not against Lebanese civilians.
In a statement signed by Pizzaballa, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land called the act a “grave affront to the Christian faith” and part of “other reported incidents of desecration of Christian symbols”.
What's confirmed
- Israel Defense Forces say the ‘soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and value’ Israel Defense Forces say the ‘soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and value’ Two Israeli soldiers…
- “The remaining troops who stood by have been summoned for clarification discussions that will be held later, after which further command-level measures will be determined,” the IDF said.
- The Israeli military posted a photo on social media of the replacement crucifix, which appeared smaller but more ornate than the original statue smashed by the soldier, and said the sculpture was replaced by troops a…
- “The inquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values,” the military said.
What's still developing
- The IDF said it had removed from combat duty both the soldier who damaged the statue and the one who filmed the act, sentencing them to 30 days in military prison.
- In 2025, the conflict-monitoring group Action on Armed Violence said it had found Israel had closed down or left unresolved 88% of cases of alleged misconduct in Gaza and the West Bank.
- The statue investigation found that six other troops were “present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it”.
- Residents said the statue had stood on a crucifix outside a family home on the edge of Debel, one of the few villages where civilians have remained despite Israel’s ongoing war with Hezbollah.
- Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he was “stunned and saddened” by the incident, while the foreign minister, Gideon Saar, issued an apology “to every Christian whose feelings were hurt”.
- In a statement signed by Pizzaballa, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land called the act a “grave affront to the Christian faith” and part of “other reported incidents of desecration of Christian…
- Commenting on the recent defacing of the Jesus statue, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia said to the Italian broadcaster La7: “I would like to point out to Benjamin Netanyahu that Jesus himself went to Tyre and Sidon, in…
- The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, said on X that “swift, severe, & public consequences are needed”.