The Israeli Army reported last night, Sunday, that it was examining a photograph in which one of its soldiers allegedly appeared destroying the figure of Jesus Christ with a hammer in a Christian village in southern Lebanon. The blows, as seen, are on the neck, as if he were trying to decapitate the carving.
“If it turns out to be a real and recent image, these actions are not in line with the values of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces, the Army) and the expected behavior of IDF soldiers,” one of the spokespersons for the armed forces, Nadav Shoshani, initially reported in a statement.
Hours later, the official account of
“Following the completion of an initial examination of a photograph published today showing an IDF soldier damaging a Christian symbol, it was determined that the photograph shows an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon,” the text reads. “The IDF considers the incident extremely serious and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is totally incompatible with the values expected of its troops,” it added.
In the same statement, it is explained that the Northern Command “is investigating the incident and is currently being processed through the chain of command. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the conclusions. Likewise, the IDF is collaborating with the community to restore the statue to its place.”
The image has been spread on X since the Palestinian journalist Yunis Tirawi shared it this Sunday, generating enormous controversy.
It shows a soldier from the Israeli Army, with a long hammer, hitting the face of a carving of the crucified Jesus Christ that has been taken down from the cross on which it was located, remaining inverted and resting on the ground. The photography is in an open space and not inside a church.
According to Tirawi and the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoththe figure was in the village of Debel, in the central sector of southern Lebanon, which remains militarily occupied by Israel. There are local publications that locate the religious complex in which the figure was located at this point. It is a space close to the border with Israel. The municipality told AFP that the statue was located in the village, but could not confirm whether it had been damaged.
It is estimated that Christians represent between 30% and 40% of Lebanon’s total population, making them the largest religious minority in the region.
Social media users have begun to publish photos and videos of other alleged Lebanese temples and convents that had been damaged by Israeli attacks, since it began striking in Lebanon on March 2, in retaliation for the attacks by the pro-Iranian militia party Hezbollah. The group attacked its southern neighbors for the attack on Iran and the assassination of its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
According to data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, it is estimated that in six weeks the death toll rose to 2,294 and the number of injuries to 7,544. Right now there is a ceasefire between the parties, systematically violated, but without a formal break.
