He Israeli Army this examining a photograph in which it appears one of his soldiers destroying the figure of Jesus Christ with hammer blows in one christian village of the southern Lebanon. “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, reported in a statement.
The spokesperson assured that the “incidentand will be thoroughly and deeply investigated.” and that, if necessary, “measures will be taken” depending on what was discovered. The image has been spread on X since it was shared by Palestinian journalist Yunis Tirawi Sunday…
In it appears a Israeli Army soldierwith a long hammer, hitting the face of one carving of crucified Jesus Christ which 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 Ahronoth’, the figure was in the side of Debelin it sector central of the southern Lebanonwhich remains militarily occupied by Israel.
“Serious and shameful”
He Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saarhas called this Monday “serious and shameful” the incident in which an Israeli soldier hits the face of a figure of Jesus Christ with a mace in southern Lebanon, after the Army investigation confirmed that the photograph published through social networks was authentic.
“The damage to a Christian religious symbol by a soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in southern Lebanon is something serious and shameful“said Saar, who applauded the Army for its statement condemning the incident and its investigation into the matter.
Thus, he expressed his “confidence” that “the necessary strict measures will be adopted against whoever carried out this horrible act.” “This shameful action is totally contrary to our values,” insisted the head of Israeli diplomacy through a message on social networks.
Israel apologizes
“Israel is a country that respects different religions and their sacred symbols, and that defends tolerance and respect between faiths,” he said. “We apologize for this incident. and before every Christian whose feelings were hurt,” he concluded.
He Israeli Army announced hours before the opening of an investigation into the event and assured that it views this incident with “great severity”, while stressing that this behavior “does not agree with the values expected of its troops.”
“The IDF is even working to help the community restore the figure in its place,” he said, while noting that the Israeli military is deployed in southern Lebanon, within the framework of a new invasion of the neighboring country, “to dismantle the Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure“.
