IDF soldier jailed for smashing Jesus statue with an axe in Lebanon
The Independent • • world
Key Points:
- Two Israeli soldiers were removed from combat duty and placed in 30 days of military detention after one destroyed a Jesus statue in southern Lebanon and the other photographed the act, following an IDF investigation.
- The incident, captured in a widely condemned photo, involved one soldier damaging the Christian religious symbol while six others did not intervene, violating IDF orders and values.
- Israel’s chief of staff condemned the act as unacceptable and a moral failure, and the military is working with the local community to replace the statue.
- The incident occurred amid ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, with Israel occupying several villages and conducting demolitions targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
- Rights groups note that such punishments are rare in the Israeli military, with many cases of alleged misconduct in Gaza and the West Bank remaining unresolved or closed.
