Israel has apologised to “every Christian” after one of its soldiers in Lebanon was pictured smashing a statue of Jesus in the face with a sledgehammer.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the image was genuine and said it would investigate, with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, condemning the attack.
Mr Netanyahu said: “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 were conducting a criminal investigation and “will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender”, he added.
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, earlier condemned the “shameful act” that was “completely contrary to our values”.
Mr Sa’ar said: “We apologise for this incident, and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt.”
The image emerged days after the IDF began a ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia terrorist group.
Israeli troops have established a security zone in southern Lebanon, having ordered the evacuation of around 1.2 million civilians, apart from a handful of Christian villages.
A photograph showed that the life-sized statue of Christ appeared to have been partially removed from a cross, with the top half hanging near the ground. An Israeli soldier could be seen wielding a large sledgehammer, the end of which was implanted into the statue’s face.
Arab media reports indicated that the statue was in the Christian village of Debl, near the border with Israel.
IDF said it viewed the incident with “great severity” and that the soldier’s conduct was “wholly inconsistent” with the values expected of its troops.
It said the incident was being investigated, and that “appropriate measures” would be taken against those involved in accordance with the investigation’s findings.
The IDF was working to help the community in “restoring the statue to its place,” it added.
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel and an ordained Christian minister, welcomed Israel’s condemnation of the incident and called for public consequences, but said it “doesn’t properly represent the IDF or Israel”.
The controversy followed an international row after Israeli police blocked the entrance of the most senior Catholic prelate in the country to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the reputed site of the crucifixion, on Palm Sunday.
It also comes amid concern about the alleged “Gazafication” of southern Lebanon, with widespread destruction of civilian property based on removing “terrorist infrastructure”.
In late 2024, during a previous brief occupation of southern Lebanon, Israeli troops filmed themselves in an Orthodox Christian church in the village of Deir Mimas, mocking the Christian wedding ceremony by staging a fake wedding. They also mimicked sexual acts on the floor, with the IDF saying it would take action.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war in early March when Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with strikes across the country and an invasion of the south.
Israeli troops have remained in the area despite a ceasefire between the two countries that came into force on Friday.
More than 2,100 people are believed to have been killed in Lebanon and one million displaced since the start of the conflict, according to Lebanese health authorities.