Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly condemned the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon, while the army leadership has launched a criminal investigation into the incident amid ongoing large-scale military operations.

The incident was recorded in the Lebanese village of Debel, where the soldier hit the Christian shrine with a hammer. The Israel Defense Forces responded promptly, declaring that such behavior radically contradicts military values. Noting that the vast majority of Israelis are shocked by what happened, Prime Minister Netanyahu promised to take tough measures.

“I strongly condemn this act,” the head of the government emphasized, adding that the culprit will be severely punished based on the results of the investigation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country, Saar, described the incident as a shame and officially apologized to the Christians whose religious feelings were offended. As a gesture of goodwill, the Israeli military has expressed its willingness to assist the local community in restoring the statue and placing it in its original location.

The scandal surrounding the religious statue takes place in the context of intense fighting in Lebanon. The military operations, which started on March 2, immediately after the joint strikes of the USA and Israel in the direction of Iran, have already killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon. The Israeli side claims that the aim of the current military operation is the disarmament and disarmament of the armed groups against which the state has been waging an armed struggle since 2023, parallel to the ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

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