Two Israeli soldiers jailed after smashing Jesus statue in Lebanon
One of the soldiers smashed the statue while the other took a picture - which Benjamin Netanyahu condemned in the "strongest terms".
Two Israeli soldiers have been jailed for 30 days after they destroyed a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.
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The Israeli military sentenced the IDF soldiers after a picture emerged of them smashing the statue in the Christian village of Debel.
One of the soldiers destroyed the statue while the other took a picture.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the image "in the strongest terms".
The cross belonged to a family as part of their small shine on the edge of the village, said local priest Fadi Falfel.
Debel is one of the villages in Lebanon where Israel's military has been operating against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
More than 2,000 people have been killed, including 166 children, and over 6,500 injured since Israel began its campaign on March 2. More than 1.2 million people are estimated to have been displaced across Lebanon, including 820,000 from the south, UN's OCHA reports.
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A short while ago, in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon, the damaged statue was replaced by IDF troops. The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 21, 2026
The IDF… pic.twitter.com/nGh1s1iia1
The IDF released a statement on Tuesday explaining that another six soldiers were at the scene, and did not stop the incident or report it.
The group have been summoned for "clarification discussions that will be held later on, after which further command-level measures will be determined".
The IDF continued: "The inquiry determined that the soldiers' conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values.
"The IDF 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."
The defence force has now replaced the statue, according to their X post.
Debel is one of the villages in south Lebanon under Israeli occupation.