The Israeli soldier who hit a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in Lebanon and the soldier who photographed the incident will receive 30 days of military detention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said.
The IDF also said the two soldiers – who have not been named – would be “removed from combat duty” following an inquiry.
Another six soldiers who were at the scene and failed to intervene or report the incident will be dealt with separately, it added.
The incident in the village of Debel in southern Lebanon prompted widespread condemnation after an image of it was widely shared online this week. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by what happened.
In its statement on Tuesday, the IDF said an inquiry into the incident had “determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values” and expressed “deep regret over the incident”.
It also said IDF troops had replaced the damaged statue “in full co-ordination with the local community” a short while ago.
It stressed that its operations in Lebanon were directed “solely” against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah “and other terrorist groups, and not against Lebanese civilians”.
Locals had said the statue was on a crucifix outside a family home on the edge of Debel, one of the few villages where residents have remained during Israel’s war with Hezbollah.
The head of Debel’s congregation, Father Fadi Flaifel, told the BBC after the incident: “We totally reject the desecration of the cross, our sacred symbol, and all religious symbols.
“It goes against the declaration of human rights, and it doesn’t reflect civility.”
He claimed similar incidents had happened before.
Among those to condemn the incident was the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee – the representative of Israel’s most important ally – who called on Monday for “swift, severe, and public consequences” following the “outrageous act”.
Netanyahu had expressed regret for the incident “and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world”.
Thousands of Israeli troops continue to occupy a wide area of southern Lebanon after a US-brokered ceasefire came into force between Israel and Lebanon on Friday.
The ceasefire has paused six weeks of fighting between the IDF and the Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah, although both sides have accused each other of violations.
Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran two days after Israel and the US launched a war on Tehran on 28 February.
Israel began a military campaign in Lebanon on 2 March in which more than a million people have been displaced and more than 2,290 have been killed, including 177 children and 100 healthcare workers, Lebanese authorities say.
Israeli officials say that 13 Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in the same period.
Source: BBC
