Benjamin Netanyahu condemns Israeli soldier seen vandalising Jesus statue with a sledgehammer in Lebanon

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned "in the strongest terms" images of an Israeli soldier damaging a statue of Jesus.

A picture emerged over the weekend of the IDF soldier appearing to use a sledgehammer on the icon, which was taken in southern Lebanon.

Analysts have said the image was taken in Debel, one of the villages in ​Lebanon where Israel's military has been operating against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in response to the group firing rockets at ​Israel in support of Iran.

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Mr Netanyahu said 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.

"We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world."

The Israeli military confirmed it was investigating the incident.

"The ⁠IDF [Israel Defence Forces] views the incident with great severity and emphasises that ​the soldier's conduct is
wholly inconsistent with the values expected of ​its troops," the military said.

"The IDF is working to assist the community in restoring ​the statue to its place."

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the soldier's actions were "grave and disgraceful".

"We apologise for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt," he added in a post on X.

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The investigation also prompted a response from Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, who said on X that "swift, severe, & public consequences are needed".

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.

"One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did this horrible thing, this desecration of our holy symbols," he ‌said.

Debel is one of dozens of villages in south ⁠Lebanon now under effective Israeli occupation.

Israel and Lebanon on Thursday agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire intended to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

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