Israeli Military Detains 2 Soldiers Following Toppling of Jesus Statue

Two Israeli soldiers will receive a month of military detention for the recent toppling of a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military announced on April 21.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began investigating after a photograph began to circulate of an Israeli soldier appearing to swing a sledgehammer down on a statue of the central figure of the Christian faith.

“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 religious symbol while another soldier photographed the act. Six additional soldiers were present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it,” the IDF said in a post to X on Tuesday.

Israel’s military said the actions of these soldiers were not consistent with IDF orders and values.

“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 IDF said.

Israel’s military said the six soldiers who stood by and failed to intervene or report the incident would be summoned at a later date for discussion, after which they may face command-level disciplinary actions.

Along with the disciplinary actions, the Israeli military announced it had coordinated with the Debel community on the installation of a new statue to replace the one its soldiers had damaged.

“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 IDF said.

Israeli forces have maintained a presence on the ground in southern Lebanon since entering the country in October 2024. Israeli forces entered the country to uproot Hezbollah, which holds influence in Lebanon’s Shia Muslim population and maintains ties with Iran’s Shia Islamic leadership.

The Israeli and Lebanese governments reached a ceasefire in November 2024, but Israeli forces have continued military operations in Lebanon in the months since then.

After U.S. and Israeli forces commenced large-scale military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, Hezbollah resumed its drone and rocket attacks on Israeli positions. In turn, Israeli forces ramped up air strikes and ground combat operations within Lebanon.

The Israeli and Lebanese governments announced a new 10-day ceasefire on April 16. Since then, the IDF has announced multiple instances in which its troops have fired on individuals who were active near their forward positions.

As the new ceasefire went into effect, Lebanese government forces advised Lebanese citizens to exercise caution when returning to their communities in the south, noting continuing Israeli strikes in the area.

Hezbollah has faced accusations of launching a deadly attack on United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon on April 18, though the group has denied responsibility.