Two Israeli soldiers who smashed a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon have been jailed and faraway from combat duty.
The Israeli military sentenced the soldiers to 30 days in prison after the photo, taken within the Christian village of Debel, went viral and sparked international outcry.
After an investigation by the Israeli Defence Forces, it was found that six other soldiers who witnessed the scene didn’t stop or report it.
Those other soldiers have been asked to come back forward for ‘clarification discussions that can be held afterward, after which further command-level measures can be determined’.
The IDF said in a press release: ‘The inquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values.
‘The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasises that its operations in Lebanon are directed solely against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation and other terrorist groups, and never against Lebanese civilians.’
The IDF claims to have replaced the statue.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the photo was real, writing on X: ‘I condemn the act within the strongest terms. We make an apology for the incident, and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and all over the world.’
Apologies from Israeli officials fell on deaf ears, nonetheless, with many mentioning that prior to now, the IDF has fired on other religious sites.
In 2024, an airstrike killed eight individuals who were sheltering contained in the St George Melkite Catholic Church in Derdghaya, Lebanon.
The strike was rebuked by Pope Francis, who called for a ceasefire in Lebanon. The IDF said the strike was targeting militants who were operating nearby.
Last summer, Gaza’s only Catholic church – a refuge for a lot of Christians during Israel’s war on Palestinians – was bombed. Two people were killed and a number of other, including the parish priest, were injured.
Historic diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to resume on Thursday in Washington, an Israeli, a Lebanese, and a US official said.
The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met last week for the primary direct diplomatic talks in many years.
Israel says the talks are geared toward disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement with Lebanon.
A ten-day ceasefire began on Friday in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants broke out two days after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran to start out the war.
Fighting in Lebanon has killed greater than 2,290 people and displaced well over 1,000,000.
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