Two Israeli soldiers jailed over smashing of Jesus statue in Lebanon

Two Israeli soldiers have been jailed for 30 days and removed from combat duty after a statue of Jesus was destroyed. 

The Israeli military sentenced the soldiers after a picture emerged over the weekend of an IDF soldier using a sledgehammer on the icon, which was taken in southern Lebanon.

One of the IDF troops smashed the statue and the other took a picture of the incident as the army operated in the area of the Christian village of Debel.

Following growing international criticism, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the image "in the strongest terms".

Subsequently, a statement released by the IDF on Tuesday said an inquiry found another six soldiers were present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it.

They have been summoned for "clarification discussions that will be held later on, after which further command-level measures will be determined", the IDF said.

"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."

According to a post on X, the IDF has now replaced the statue.

Debel is one of the villages in ​Lebanon where Israel's military has been operating against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.

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.

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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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