The Israeli Defense Forces announced on Tuesday that its soldier who smashed a statue of Jesus in Lebanon — and another who photographed it — have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Further, the IDF said that the statue has been replaced “in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon,” where the incident took place.
“The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident, and is working to ensure that it does not happen again in the future,” the Israelis said in a social media post.
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.
The IDF… pic.twitter.com/nGh1s1iia1
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 21, 2026
Debel is one of the villages near the border of Israel in which the IDF has been operating to root out Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
“The cross was part of a small shrine in the garden of a family living on the edge of the village, said Fadi Falfel, a priest in Debel,” Sky News reported.
In another statement posted to X, the IDF said its inquiry into the incident found that an “IDF soldier damaged a Christian religious symbol while another soldier photographed the act,” while “six additional soldiers were present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it.”
“The inquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values,” the Israelis said.
“Accordingly, it was decided 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 detention,” the statement added.
“The remaining troops who stood by have been summoned for clarification discussions that will be held later on, after which further command-level measures will be determined.”
Findings and Conclusions of the Inquiry into the Conduct of an IDF Soldier Who Damaged a Christian Symbol in Southern Lebanon
The inquiry found that during IDF activity in the area of the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, an IDF soldier damaged a Christian… https://t.co/73ubDn3L2G
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 21, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted Monday on X, “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.”
The prime minister also noted that Israel allows for religious freedom, unlike many other nations in the region.
“All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region,” he wrote.
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…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 20, 2026
A Pew Research Center poll published this month found white evangelical Protestants have the most favorable view of Israel among the American electorate at 65 percent support, followed closely by Jewish-Americans at 64 percent. Meanwhile, 35 percent of Roman Catholics hold a favorable view of the Jewish state.
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