Israel replaces smashed statue of Jesus, arrests soldiers who destroyed it

(LifeSiteNews) — Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to 30 days in jail for smashing a statue of the crucified Christ in Lebanon.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the two soldiers who were responsible for smashing the statue with a sledgehammer have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in military jail. One of the soldiers wielded the hammer, and the other took a video.

A picture of the scene that occurred in a village in Southern Lebanon was circulated online and caused global outrage among Christians, drawing condemnation from many Christian leaders, including bishops in the Holy Land.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the action.

According to the Guardian, this kind of punishment is rare within the IDF. The conflict-monitoring group Action on Armed Violence said that in 2025, about 88 percent of cases of alleged misconduct by Israeli in Gaza and the West Bank were closed down or left unresolved.

The investigation into the statue incident revealed that six other soldiers were “present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it.”

“The remaining troops who stood by have been summoned for clarification discussions that will be held later, after which further command-level measures will be determined,” the IDF stated.

The Israeli military added that “procedures regarding conduct with religious institutions and symbols were reinforced to troops prior to their entry into the relevant areas, and will be reinforced again for all forces in the area following the incident.”

The IDF posted a picture on X showing a replacement statue of the crucified Christ that was put up “in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon.”

“The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident, and is working to ensure that it does not happen again in the future,” the Israel Defense Forces wrote.

A short while ago, in full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon, the damaged statue was replaced by IDF troops. The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue from the moment it received the report of the incident.

The IDF… pic.twitter.com/nGh1s1iia1

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 21, 2026

Some commentators online have suggested that the IDF acted in that way because the incident had created global outrage, and that soldiers are not usually punished for similar acts, as shown by the low numbers of misconduct cases leading to actual punishment of IDF members.