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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lorenzo Tondo

Two Israeli soldiers jailed over smashing of Jesus statue in Lebanon village

Israeli soldier damages Jesus statue in Debel, Lebanon.
The soldier who smashed the statue, and another who filmed the incident, were removed from combat duty and jailed for 30 days. Photograph: Social media/Reuters

Two Israeli soldiers have been removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in jail after one used a sledgehammer to smash a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon while the other filmed him, the Israel Defense Forces have said.

An image circulating on social media on Monday showed an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen from its cross in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, prompting outrage among Christian communities worldwide.

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