An Israeli soldier filmed himself smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in a village in southern Lebanon, in an incident that sparked widespread condemnation and was later acknowledged by the Israeli army.

Following the incident, the army said it was “conducting an investigation”, but did not provide clear details about the circumstances or any concrete steps for accountability.

An image circulated on social media showed the soldier striking the statue with a heavy hammer.

The Israeli army spokesperson wrote on platform X that the army was currently reviewing the image, before confirming hours later that one of its soldiers had destroyed a statue of Christ in Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said: “Following the completion of an initial examination regarding a photograph published earlier today of an IDF soldier harming a Christian symbol, it was determined that the photograph depicts an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.”

The statement added: “The IDF views the incident with great severity,” noting that the Northern Command is investigating and that relevant units are currently handling the case. 

“Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings,” the IDF said. 

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