IDF removes 2 soldiers from combat, jails them after Jesus statue vandalized in southern Lebanon

Following an investigation into last Sunday’s incident in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon — where an IDF soldier smashed a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer while another photographed the act — the IDF announced on Tuesday that both soldiers have been removed from their units and will serve prison time.

Six additional soldiers who were present and did not intervene will be questioned individually to clarify their roles before any decision is made regarding further disciplinary action.

The IDF statement read, “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.”

From the time the report was received, the IDF began working with the local community to replace the statue.

Procedures outlining how Israeli troops are expected to treat religious institutions and symbols were reinforced before entering the area, and will be reinforced again for all forces operating there following the incident.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir condemned the incident, calling it “unacceptable conduct and a moral failure, far exceeding any acceptable standard and contradicting IDF values and the expected conduct of its troops.”

In a separate statement, the IDF said the damaged statue had been replaced with the local Christian community's cooperation. “The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident,” the military said, adding that it “expresses deep regret over the incident, and is working to ensure that it does not happen again in the future.”

Beyond the military's response, the incident has drawn significant criticism from within the Jewish world itself. Around 150 Jewish leaders from across Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements issued an open letter condemning the act and apologizing to Christians worldwide.

The joint letter, organized by Israel365 Action, was issued in response to the viral image and described the act as a “chillul Hashem,” or desecration of God’s name. Signatories said it was an affront to Christian communities globally and a betrayal of core Jewish values.

“As Jewish leaders, we apologize to the Christian community for this repulsive act and renew our commitment to the sanctity of all holy places and sacred symbols,” the letter stated.

The signatories emphasized that the actions of the soldiers do not reflect the values of the vast majority of Israelis and warned that such incidents risk damaging fragile Jewish — Christian relations. They also noted that many Israelis may not fully appreciate the depth of support Israel receives from Christian communities around the world.

Israel365 founder Rabbi Tuly Weisz said he was appalled by the incident, given his close work with pro-Israel Christians, while Executive Director Rabbi Pesach Wolicki warned the episode could have broader strategic consequences for those relationships.

Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, president of Ohr Torah Stone, added that such acts “contradict the values of the IDF and the teachings of Judaism,” while welcoming the military’s decision to investigate and assist in restoring the damaged statue.

This incident is among the most high-profile of its kind and follows other images shared online during the current conflict — including from operations in southern Lebanon — showing damage to or looting of civilian property.

A Catholic priest from the Franciscan Order near Jerusalem, who spoke with ALL ISRAEL NEWS earlier this week, responded to the IDF's decision to publicly condemn the act and remove the soldiers from combat duty, saying it was appropriate but incomplete.

“This is exactly what the IDF and the government needed to do to address this particular incident. But they’ve got a lot of work to do to address the wider issues that led up to it," he said. 

The priest, who asked to remain anonymous, continued: “Like I said before, there needs to be reforms to the educational system so that Jewish Israeli children learn about their Christian neighbors. I think it would also be good for the IDF to highlight the many young men and women from the Arab Christian communities in this country who volunteer to serve. There are also quite a few Arab Christians who work as doctors and nurses, taking care of the sick, and even treating wounded IDF soldiers in hospitals.”

“Our communities contribute a lot to this country, but most Israeli Jews don’t know much about that. The media could do a better job of telling those kinds of stories. I am sure the Franciscan Brotherhood that I belong to would be more than happy to cooperate with the government if it wanted to do some educational activities to help Israeli Jews get to know their Arab Christian neighbors better. Evangelical Protestant groups have already started to do some of those kinds of things, and there’s no reason Catholic and Orthodox groups couldn’t do the same,” he continued.

This article was originally published by All Israel News.