The soldier who smashed a statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon will be removed from combat duty and receive 30 days of military detention, the IDF announced on Tuesday, following the conclusion of its investigation into the incident.
The soldier who photographed the act will be given the same punishment.
Six other soldiers who were present at the scene and “did not act to stop the incident or report it” have been summoned for “clarification discussions” to be held at a later point, the IDF added, after which additional measures will be determined.
The soldiers’ conduct “completely deviated from IDF orders and values,” the military said.
Following the announcement, IDF Arabic Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya revealed that the IDF had "erected a new statue in place of the one that was damaged."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Tuesday sharply condemned the incident, stating that it “constitutes unacceptable conduct and a moral failure, far exceeding any acceptable standard and contradicting IDF values and the expected conduct of its troops.”
The IDF expressed its deep regret over the incident, emphasizing that its operations in Lebanon are against Hezbollah and other terror groups alone, and not Lebanese civilians.
Netanyahu, Sa'ar condemn incident
Footage of the incident rapidly spread across social media on Sunday, drawing condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and Jewish communities worldwide.
Netanyahu, in a Monday post on X/Twitter, stated that he was "stunned and saddened" to learn of the incident.
"I condemn the act in the strongest terms," he declared. "Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender."
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar decried the incident, labeling it “grave and disgraceful” in a Monday morning post on X/Twitter.
Jerusalem Post Staff, James Genn, and Yoav Etiel contributed to this story.