• Source:JND
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  1. Israeli soldier damaged Jesus statue in southern Lebanon village.
  2. IDF launched investigation, condemned soldier's "shameful act."
  3. Foreign Minister Sa'ar called incident "grave and disgraceful."

The Israeli military has launched an investigation after a photograph circulating on social media showed an Israeli soldier damaging a statue of a crucified Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon. According to a report by CNN, the image, taken in the predominantly Christian village of Debel, shows the figure of Christ leaning against the cross, appearing upside down and removed from it. The photo, posted on Sunday, appears to show an Israeli soldier striking the head of the statue of Christ on the cross with a hammer or an axe.

"We certainly condemn this shameful act because it offends our religious feelings and is an attack on our sacred beliefs," Maroun Nassif, the deputy head of the Debel municipality, told CNN. This triggered a major outrage on social media platfoms, triggering IDF launching a probe against the soldier. 

Appropriate measures will be taken: IDF

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it views the incident with "great severity," adding that the soldier's conduct is "wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops." The IDF's Northern Command has initiated an investigation into the matter. “The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is currently being addressed through the chain of command. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings,” read the statement.

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Furthermore, the IDF is working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place. It further added that it is working to assist the local community in restoring the statue to its original place.

Debel is among 55 towns and villages in southern Lebanon currently under Israeli military occupation. The village lies around four miles west of Bint Jbeil, which Israeli forces have encircled in ongoing operations targeting what they describe as a Hezbollah stronghold in the area.

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Israeli Foreign Minister calls it grave and disgraceful 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar decried the incident, labelling it “grave and disgraceful” in a Monday morning post on X. “This shameful action is completely contrary to our values,” Sa’ar asserted, extending an apology to Christians who felt hurt by the incident.

Sa’ar added that he is confident that the IDF will take “necessary strict measures” against the soldier responsible for the incident.

(With inputs from agency)



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