Southern Lebanon (QNN)- A photo showing an Israeli soldier desecrating a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon during the recent assault has sparked widespread outrage. Israeli officials confirmed the image is authentic.
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Footage from Debel near the Litani River showed the soldier swinging a sledgehammer at the head of the statue, which was set upside down against a pole.
The statue that was smashed was located on private property in the village and belonged to one of the families in the Maronite community.
The Israeli military said that an initial examination determined that the photograph is authentic, adding that "the soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops."
"Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings," the military claimed.
Meanwhile, Lebanese media reported damage to another Christian site in the village of Ain Ebel in the same district. Reports also confirmed Israeli strikes hit a number of religious sites in southern Lebanon, including the shrine of the Prophet Shimon Safa in the village of Shamaa in the Tyre district.
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Two days ago, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the site, which is recognized by UNESCO, had been damaged. Separate reports said at least nine religious sites had been destroyed in villages across the south during the Israeli assault.
The photo has been widely slammed on social media.
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Israeli forces repeatedly targeted religious sites, including mosques and churches, during the genocide in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, settlers vandalised or attacked 45 mosques last year, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Separately, the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) documented at least 201 incidents of violence against Christians, primarily committed by Orthodox Jews targeting international clergy or individuals displaying Christian symbols, between January 2024 and September 2025.
The majority of these incidents, which included multiple forms of harassment, including spitting, verbal abuse, vandalism and assaults, took place in Jerusalem’s Old City, located in occupied Jerusalem.
Commenting on social media, Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, wrote: “We’ll wait to hear the police spokesperson claim that ‘the soldier felt threatened by Jesus’.”
Ahmad Tibi, another Palestinian member of the Knesset, wrote on Facebook that those who blow up mosques and churches in Gaza and spit on Christian clergy in Jerusalem without punishment are not afraid to destroy a statue of Jesus Christ and publish it.
“Perhaps these racists have also learned from Donald Trump to insult Jesus Christ and insult Pope Leo?” he asked, referring to the US president’s recent controversies, including his now-deleted Al-generated image that portrayed him as a Jesus-like figure and his attack on the head of the Roman Catholic Church, who has criticized the war on Iran.
