Outrage after photo shows Israeli soldier smashing Jesus statue in Lebanon

Social media users condemn Western soundlessness connected attacks connected spiritual symbols and sites by Israeli soldiers and settlers.

A viral photograph showing an Israeli worker hitting a statue of Jesus Christ successful confederate Lebanon with a sledgehammer has sparked outrage.

In a connection connected Monday, the Israeli subject confirmed the authenticity of the representation that was wide shared online, garnering much than 5 cardinal views connected X.

It said that pursuing an archetypal review, it was determined that the photograph showed an Israeli worker “operating successful confederate Lebanon”, wherever Israel past period launched a crushed penetration successful conjunction with aerial bombardment amid its associated war with the United States connected Iran.

The subject added that an probe had been opened and that “appropriate measures volition beryllium taken against those progressive successful accordance with the findings”.

Commenting connected societal media, Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian subordinate of the Israeli parliament, wrote pointedly: “We’ll hold to perceive the constabulary spokesperson assertion that ‘the worker felt threatened by Jesus’.”

Ahmad Tibi, different Palestinian subordinate of the Knesset, wrote connected Facebook that those who stroke up mosques and churches successful Gaza and spit connected Christian clergy successful Jerusalem without punishment are not acrophobic to destruct a statue of Jesus Christ and people it.

“Perhaps these racists person besides learned from Donald Trump to insult Jesus Christ and insult Pope Leo?” helium asked, referring to the US president’s caller controversies, including his now-deleted AI-generated image that portrayed him arsenic a Jesus-like fig and his feud with the caput of the Roman Catholic Church, who has criticised the warfare connected Iran.

Several activists, academics and writers besides criticised the desecration of the statue, which was located connected the outskirts of the colony of Debl successful confederate Lebanon, adjacent the borderline with Israel.

Social media users besides condemned the planetary soundlessness pursuing attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers against spiritual sites and symbols.

“When the Western satellite remains silent, racists spell further,” said Tibi.

Israeli forces repeatedly attacked spiritual sites, including mosques and churches, during Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, settlers vandalised oregon attacked 45 mosques past year, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Separately, the Religious Freedom Data Center (RFDC) documented astatine slightest 201 incidents of unit against Christians, chiefly committed by Orthodox Jews targeting planetary clergy oregon individuals displaying Christian symbols, betwixt January 2024 and September 2025.

The bulk of these incidents, which included aggregate forms of harassment, including spitting, verbal abuse, vandalism and assaults, took spot successful Jerusalem’s Old City, located successful occupied East Jerusalem.