IDF Soldier Uses Sledgehammer To Knock Off Head Of Jesus Statue

This is a disgusting act.

A photo that has gone viral on X shows a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posing next to a Jesus statue after using a sledgehammer to knock off its head.

The photo has been confirmed to be 100% real by Israeli authorities.

Take a look:

Lebanon |

An Israeli soldier smashing the head of a Jesus Christ statue during operations in southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/Sj1m16tj9q

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) April 19, 2026

The IDF released the following statement regarding the incident:

Following the completion of an initial examination regarding a photograph published earlier today of an IDF soldier harming a Christian symbol, it was determined that the photograph depicts an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.

The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.

The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is currently being addressed through the chain of command. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings.

Furthermore, the IDF is working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place.

The IDF is operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols.

BREAKING: IDF soldiers are SMASHING statues of Jesus Christ in Palestine and Lebanon

How are Americans still funding this? pic.twitter.com/Ebp8TC0dFt

— Jvnior (@Jvnior) April 20, 2026

The New York Times reported more on the disgusting actions by the IDF soldier and provided a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

The Israeli military said Monday that it was investigating one of its soldiers after he was photographed in southern Lebanon swinging a sledgehammer at the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off a cross.

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The military said it had confirmed that the photograph was authentic and that the statue had indeed been damaged, but said it had not yet determined when the vandalism had occurred. It took place in Debl, a Christian village a few miles north of the Israeli border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the soldier’s actions and said he was “stunned and saddened” by this. He expressed regret for any hurt caused “to believers in Lebanon and around the world.”

He vowed that the military would “take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.”

The military declared the soldier’s conduct “wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops” and said it was working to assist the community in Lebanon to restore the statue to its place.

Late Monday afternoon, the military said it had identified the soldier who wielded the sledgehammer and that an investigation by the army’s Northern Command was ongoing.

Akl Naddaf, the mayor of Debl, said the statue was in the garden of a private home in an area where residents have been barred since they were forced to flee about a month ago by Israel’s offensive.

“We also hope that the Israeli army will open an investigation into the homes they are destroying in Debl and into the breaking of statues of saints inside them,” he said.

Lebanon is home to the largest proportion of Christians of any country in the region. Christians are one of the country’s three dominant demographic groups, along with Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

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