The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is being handled \u201cthrough the chain of command,\u201d the IDF said in its statement, adding that \u201cappropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Northern Command will also assist the Christian community in restoring the statue to its place, the military added.<\/p>\n
The photo, which circulated days into a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror group backed by Iran, is the latest instance in which footage has been published of Israeli soldiers destroying or looting property. It also comes following recent tensions between the Israeli government and Christian leaders in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Lebanon |<\/p>\n
An Israeli soldier smashing the head of a Jesus Christ statue during operations in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com\/Sj1m16tj9q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Younis Tirawi | \u064a\u0648\u0646\u0633 (@ytirawi) April 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Hezbollah began attacking Israel on March 2, shortly after the beginning of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and by expanding its troops\u2019 presence deeper into Lebanon.\n<\/p>\n The conflict entered a 10-day ceasefire on Friday. IDF troops are still operating throughout southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah explosives have killed and wounded Israeli forces in multiple incidents since then.<\/p>\n Amid the war with Iran, which entered its own truce earlier this month, tensions have flared between Israeli authorities and Christian officials in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n In March, police stopped<\/a> Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Father Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, who are the top Catholic figures in the region, from praying at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the Palm Sunday holiday \u2014 an incident which blew up into an international furor.<\/p>\n The police said they were following security restrictions put in place during the war, in which Iranian missile fire struck Jerusalem\u2019s Old City. But following the uproar, arrangements were made for Easter services to be held at the Christian holy site.<\/p>\n In addition, there have been several publicized instances of looting and destruction of property by Israeli troops in recent years, particularly among those operating in the Gaza Strip after Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, attack.<\/p>\n The IDF\u2019s then-top lawyer, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, issued a warning<\/a> in 2024 to commanders against illegal actions carried out by troops in the Gaza Strip, warning of \u201cinappropriate statements that encourage unacceptable phenomena; unjustified use of force, including against detainees; looting, which includes the use or removal of private property for non-operational purposes; and destruction of civilian property contrary to protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n Formal complaints have been filed overseas against traveling IDF soldiers by the anti-Israel Hind Rajab Foundation, accusing them of war crimes allegedly committed in the Gaza Strip. The group, which has caused alarm in Israel, uses social media posts by Israeli soldiers, officers, and reservists to locate them in an attempt to have them arrested for alleged war crimes when they travel abroad.<\/p>\n Lazar Berman contributed to this story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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