Israel punishes soldiers who desecrated crucifix in southern Lebanon
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
An Israeli soldier damages the head of a statue of Jesus Christ in Debel, Lebanon, on April 19.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow our live coverage here.
JERUSALEM – Israel’s military removed two soldiers from combat duty and placed them in military detention for 30 days after they destroyed a crucifix in southern Lebanon, it said on April 21.
A picture that showed an Israeli soldier taking the blunt side of an axe to a fallen sculpture of Jesus Christ on the cross drew widespread condemnation on April 20 from Israeli politicians, the US and church leaders.
It was posted by Mr Younis Tirawi, a Palestinian reporter who has also posted images of Israeli soldiers’ apparent misconduct in Gaza.
A military statement said an investigation into the incident showed that one soldier damaged a Christian religious symbol, while another photographed the act. Six other soldiers had been present without taking action or interfering, according to the statement.
The Israeli military said they were working with the local community to replace the statue.
Israel’s chief of staff, Mr Eyal Zamir, condemned the desecration of the statue as unacceptable conduct and a moral failure, according to the statement.
This type of punishment is relatively rare in the Israeli military, according to rights groups.
In 2025, the conflict-monitoring group Action on Armed Violence said they found that Israel had closed down or left unresolved 88 per cent of cases of alleged misconduct in Gaza and the West Bank.
In a recent case, charges were dropped against soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Gaza detainee.
Reuters verified the image as having been taken in Debel, one of the few villages in southern Lebanon where residents remained through an Israeli military campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. The offensive began on March 2 after the group fired rockets at Israel in support of Iran.
Debel is one of dozens of villages in south Lebanon now under effective Israeli occupation. Israel and Lebanon agreed on April 16 to a US-brokered ceasefire intended to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
An Israeli official previously told Reuters that Christian villages in southern Lebanon had not been issued evacuation orders, unlike Shi’ite Muslim villages.
Lebanese lawmakers have expressed concern that Israeli actions may exacerbate sectarian tensions.
The Israeli military has been carrying out demolitions in villages in the south, saying it is acting against infrastructure belonging to Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah. REUTERS
