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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Two Israeli soldiers have been jailed for defacing a statue of Jesus Christ in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, an incident which had sparked international outrage.
The soldier who damaged the religious symbol, along with a second who photographed the act, have been taken off combat duty and handed 30 days in military detention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday.
Neither soldier has been publicly identified and the IDF said another six soldiers were present at the scene but did not intervene.
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A photograph showing a uniformed Israeli soldier in military fatigues using a sledgehammer to attack a statue of a crucified Jesus in the Lebanese village of Debel had widely circulated, the IDF later confirming the image was real. Debel sits about 3 miles north of the Israeli border.
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The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had replaced the statue "in full coordination with the local community."
Israeli soldiers have for weeks conducted ground operations against Iran-backed militant and political group Hezbollah, alongside airstrikes on the country.
A 10-day ceasefire came into effect at 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, but Israeli soldiers have remained in southern Lebanon as part of what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "security zone," to protect northern Israel.
More than 2,290 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start the war in the Middle East, sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran from February 28. Iran has retaliated by targeting U.S. allies across the region with missiles and drones.
Israel has been attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon since the group fired rockets into northern Israel in support of Tehran on March 2. Fifteen Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon, according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee had called for "swift, severe" consequences for the damage to the statue, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the incident "grave and disgraceful."
"We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt," Saar said.
Netanyahu said he was "stunned and saddened by the incident" and that he condemned it "in the strongest possible terms."
"We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world," he added.
The IDF said its inquiry had found the soldiers' behavior "completely deviated from IDF orders and values," with the six other soldiers found to be at the scene summoned to explain the incident.
"The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasizes that its operations in Lebanon are directed solely against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and other terrorist groups, and not against Lebanese civilians," the Israeli military added.
Update 4/20/2026, 3:45 a.m. ET, 6:36 a.m. ET and 1:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and comments from Benjamin Netanyahu and Mike Huckabee.
Update 4/21/2026, 3:39 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and a new headline.
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