April 22, 2026 | 09:59 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Israeli military on Tuesday withdrew two soldiers from combat duty and placed them in military detention for 30 days after their destruction of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon went viral.
A photo showing an Israeli soldier using the blunt side of an axe to smash a fallen statue of Jesus on a cross drew widespread condemnation on Monday from Israeli, American, European, and Catholic church leaders.
The photo was posted by Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian reporter who has also posted images of alleged violations by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
A military statement, as reported by Al Arabiya, said an investigation into the incident showed that one soldier defaced a Christian religious symbol, while another photographed the act. Six other soldiers were present without taking action or interfering, according to the statement.
The Israeli military said it is working with the local community to replace the statue.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir condemned the desecration of the statue as unacceptable and a moral failure, according to the statement.
According to human rights groups, this type of punishment is relatively rare in the Israeli military.
In 2025, the conflict monitoring group Action on Armed Violence said it found Israel had closed or left unresolved 88 percent of alleged violations in Gaza and the West Bank.
In a recent case, charges against soldiers accused of brutally raping Gaza detainees were dropped.
The image was verified as taken in Debel, one of the few villages in southern Lebanon where residents remained during Israel's invasion of Hezbollah. The attacks began on March 2 after the group fired rockets into Israel in support of Iran.
However, Israel had been shelling southern Lebanon almost daily before March 2, despite a ceasefire agreement in November 2024.
Debel is one of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon now under Israeli occupation. Israel and Lebanon agreed last Thursday to a US-brokered ceasefire aimed at halting fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
An Israeli official previously said that Christian villages in southern Lebanon had not received evacuation orders, unlike Shia Muslim villages.
Lebanese lawmakers have expressed concern that Israel's actions could exacerbate sectarian tensions.
The Israeli military has carried out demolitions in southern villages, claiming they are acting against Hezbollah infrastructure.
Read: Israeli Soldier Probed After Damaging Jesus Statue in Lebanon
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