Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
William Christou in Beirut and Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

Israeli army to launch criminal investigation after soldier strikes Jesus statue in Lebanon

A soldier holding or swinging a sledgehammer over an upside-down statue of Jesus
The Israeli army said the ‘soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops’. Photograph: X

The Israeli military is conducting a criminal investigation after a soldier was photographed striking a Catholic statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s military officials said they had determined that an image circulating on social media showing the incident was authentic. The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off a cross.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.