Israeli officials issued formal apologies Monday after photographs surfaced showing one of their soldiers destroying a Christian crucifix with an axe in a Lebanese village.
The disturbing images, which circulated on social media over the weekend, captured an Israeli soldier using the blunt end of an axe to strike a fallen Jesus sculpture at a religious shrine. The photographs were shared by Younis Tirawi, who identifies as a Palestinian journalist and has previously published images allegedly showing Israeli military misconduct in Gaza.
News organizations confirmed the incident took place in Debel, a southern Lebanese village that remains one of the few communities where civilians have stayed during Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah, which started March 2nd following rocket attacks by the Iran-supported group.
The destroyed crucifix belonged to a small family shrine located in a residential garden on the village outskirts, according to local priest Fadi Falfel.
“One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did this horrible thing, this desecration of our holy symbols,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the soldier’s behavior disgraceful and shameful, posting an apology on social media platform X. “We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt,” Saar said.
Military officials announced they are launching an investigation into the matter.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) views the incident with great severity and emphasises that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” the military said. “The IDF is working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place.”
Debel sits among numerous southern Lebanese communities currently under Israeli military control. Last Thursday, Israel and Lebanon implemented a U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement designed to end hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
“We have every kind of crisis,” Falfel said.
“We thought the ceasefire would bring us some relief but we’re still surrounded, unable to travel to and from the town. There are some houses on the edge of town that we’re barred from accessing.”
Israeli military representatives state they are coordinating with humanitarian organizations to address the basic needs of residents in Debel and surrounding communities.
