‘Stunned And Saddened’: Here’s Netanyahu’s Response To IDF Soldier Destroying Christian Statue

International uproar followed the proliferation of an image that purportedly showed an Israeli Defense Forces soldier smashing the head of a toppled statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon recently.

The Christian community, which has historically aligned more broadly with Israel on most geopolitical matters, was understandably among the most outspoken in light of the disturbing photo.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to address those concerns in a social media post:

As the Jewish state, Israel cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths. All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region.

Yesterday, like the…

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 20, 2026

Here’s the full statement:

As the Jewish state, Israel cherishes and upholds the Jewish values of tolerance and mutual respect between Jews and worshippers of all faiths. All religions flourish in our land and we view members of all faiths as equals in building our society and region.

Yesterday, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.

While Christians are being slaughtered in Syria and Lebanon by Muslims, the Christian population in Israel thrives unlike elsewhere in the Middle East. Israel is the only country in the region that the Christian population and standard of living is growing. Israel is the only place in the Middle East that adheres to freedom of worship for all. We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world.

CBS News provided additional details:

Confirming the authenticity of the photo, which spread quickly on social media, the Israel Defense Forces said earlier Monday in a post on X that it was taking the incident with “great severity,” adding that the “soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.”

The incident is being investigated by the Israeli Northern Command and is currently being “addressed through the chain of command,” the military added.

It said “appropriate measures will be taken against those involved” but provide any further detail.

The Israel army said it was working with the community in Lebanon to “restore the statue to its place,” adding that it 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.”

Those statements weren’t enough to quell all of the backlash on social media, however:

I’m 1000% sure after this incident, you’ll issue a circular in your army saying: you can do all this—just make sure no photos or videos get out 😐

As you punish the lawyer who leaked the video of IDF terrorist raping the Palestinian "prisioner" or correctly "Hostages"😠 pic.twitter.com/Y9Cu2vQXKn

— Echoes of India (@turkishbilla) April 20, 2026

Others were willing to accept the sentiment of Netanyahu and the IDF at face value:

Well said.

The same people who are outraged by one incident with zero casualties that has been denounced by everyone in the Israeli government, are silent about the true genocide of Christians in Muslim countries.

Just goes to show they don’t really care about Christians.

— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) April 20, 2026

NBC News reported on the initial wave of condemnation as the photo began to spread:

“I’m confident that the necessary strict measures will be taken against whoever carried out this ugly act,” Saar said.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a post on X that “swift, severe, & public consequences are needed” for what he called an “outrageous act.”

The incident comes amid a 10-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Israel invaded southern Lebanon and has attacked the country from the air after strikes by the country’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

The Israeli operation has displaced more than 1 million people, and killed nearly 2,300, according to Lebanese officials.

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Alongside the photo of the incident, Tirawi said a local page from the Christian border town of Debel mentioned that the statue belonged to them. Reuters spoke to a local priest, Fadi Falfel, who said the cross was part of a small shrine in the garden of a family living on the edge of the village.

“One of the Israeli soldiers broke the cross and did this horrible thing, this desecration of our holy symbols,” he said.

Residents had largely remained in the village throughout the Israeli campaign in southern Lebanon, Reuters reported.

Nearly a third of Lebanon’s population is Christian, according to the State Department, citing Statistics Lebanon, an independent polling and research firm.

Netanyahu said the soldier’s actions went against Jewish values of tolerance.

Here’s more from BBC News: