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Published on: 04/20/2026 - 23:21
The calm remains precarious since the entry into force of a ceasefire this Friday between Israel and Hezbollah. One photograph in particular sparked a heated controversy: we see a soldier in Israeli uniform destroying a statue of Jesus crucified with a sledgehammer. Although the Israeli army has since confirmed the authenticity of the photo, the act raises questions about respect for international law in a conflict zone.
After triggering an investigation into the photo of a soldier in Israeli uniform sabotaging a statue of Jesus crucified, Israel quickly confirmed the authenticity of the photo.
In a press release, the spokesperson for the Israeli army confirmed that the author is indeed an Israeli deployed in southern Lebanon. He also affirms that the troops "will help the community to put the statue back in place", while ensuring that they have no intention of targeting religious infrastructure.
Read alsoLebanon: a statue of Christ vandalized by an Israeli soldier
Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by this desecration, promising disciplinary sanctions. In the same press release, the Israeli Prime Minister assures that Christians are treated better in Israel than anywhere else in the Middle East.
Rhetoric nuanced by local media like l'Orient Le Jour, which recall that similar incidents - desecration of monasteries or statues of Saint George - have been documented, for example in the fall of 2024.
A village in the “buffer zone”
The statue was located in the Christian village of Debl, in southern Lebanon, near the "blue line". Indeed, by comparing the viral photo with photos published on social networks in 2021, we find the same characteristic elements: the fence, the arrangement of the stones or even a specific tree.
According to several testimonies from residents, the statue was in the garden of a private property. Although the municipality confirmed the presence of the crucifix, it was unable to see the extent of the damage for security reasons. Despite the ceasefire, Israeli troops are still operating around Debl, which is part of the "buffer zone" visible on a map released by Israel this Sunday.
War crime?
According to a lawyer based on the Rome Statute which governs the International Criminal Court, the incident would be a war crime. Indeed, its article 8 defines as a war crime the fact of "intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion", provided that they are not military objectives.
But this text is not applicable: neither Israel nor Lebanon have ratified it... The ICC is therefore not competent to judge these facts. A situation which has pushed NGOs like Human Rights Watch to call on Lebanon to ratify the Rome Statute as quickly as possible, in order to allow victims to obtain reparation.
Read alsoNetanyahu wants “severe measures” against the soldier who desecrated an ordeal in Lebanon
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