- April 20, 2026
- Latest Update: April 20, 2026 7:15 pm
- 1 minute read
TEL AVIV (dpa) - Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Monday apologized to Christians after an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier damaged a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon.
"The damaging of a Christian religious symbol by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon is grave and disgraceful," Sa'ar said in a post on social media platform X.
Sa'ar went on to commend the IDF for condemning the incident and launching an investigation, stressing that "this shameful action is completely contrary to our values."
"We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt," Sa'ar added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, expressing "regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world."
The Israeli military on Sunday confirmed on social media that an "IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon" damaged a Christian symbol, in connection with a photograph published earlier in the day showing a man in Israeli uniform striking the face of a fallen figure of Jesus Christ with a hammer.
The military said appropriate measures would be taken against those involved and added it would assist the local community in restoring the crucifix at its original site. About one third of Lebanon's population is Christian.
The incident comes days after US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Netanyahu has said Israeli forces should remain in a "reinforced security zone" in southern Lebanon.
The military said it was continuing efforts to dismantle what it described as Hezbollah's "terrorist infrastructure" in the area and stressed it had no intention of damaging civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or symbols.
--NNN-dpa
