The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that one of its soldiers smashed an effigy of Jesus Christ torn from a crucifix in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been conducting military operations to achieve a Greater Israel.
A photograph circulating online depicts the soldier sledgehammering the religious symbol. The IDF verified the authenticity of the image and stated it was taken during operations in southern Lebanon. In its announcement, the IDF described the incident as “wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act, stating: “Yesterday, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.”
Critics have expressed strong disapproval. Far-left Democrat Cenk Uygur accused Israel of “contempt for other people’s religions,” noting that Israeli military actions have targeted churches in Gaza and Armenian Christians in Lebanon. Young Turks colleague Ana Kasparian described the attack as “a grave affront to the Christian faith” and called for immediate disciplinary action.
Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald, who is Jewish, argued that the soldier was justified because Hezbollah and Hamas were hiding inside the structure. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated that the punishment must be “swift [and] severe,” while former GOP Representative Matt Gaetz labeled the incident “horrific.”
The attack follows a pattern of incidents: A year ago, an IDF bulldozer destroyed a statue of St. George in southern Lebanon. On October 9, 2024, an Israeli airstrike killed eight people at St. George Melkite Catholic Church in Derdghaya, Lebanon. In March, Israel blocked access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and burial.
The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land has condemned the incident as “a grave affront to the Christian faith” that adds to a series of reported desecrations by IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.
