Anger erupts after Israeli soldier smashes statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon

A photograph showing an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer during an offensive in southern Lebanon has caused public outrage over the shocking and morally unacceptable action.

The Israeli military, in a statement issued on Monday, confirmed the authenticity of the controversial image, which has gone viral and garnered more than 5 million views on the social media platform X.

It said that following an initial review, it was determined that the photo showed an Israeli soldier "operating in southern Lebanon."

The Israeli army initiated a ground invasion and aerial strikes in the southern parts of Lebanon last month.

The onslaught came amid the large-scale and unprovoked war of aggression that the Tel Aviv regime had launched jointly with the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Israeli military claimed that a probe has been launched, and that "appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings."

Ayman Odeh, an Arab member of the Israeli Knesset (parliament), commented pointedly on social media that “We’ll wait to hear the police spokesperson claim that ‘the soldier felt threatened by Jesus’.”

Ahmad Tibi, another Arab legislator of the Knesset, wrote on Facebook that those who blow up mosques and churches in Gaza and spit on Christian clergy in the occupied al-Quds without punishment are not afraid to destroy a statue of Jesus Christ and publish it.

“Perhaps these racists have also learned from Donald Trump to insult Jesus Christ and insult Pope Leo?” he asked, referring to the US president’s recent controversies, including his now-deleted AI-generated image that portrayed him as a Jesus-like figure and his feud with the head of the Roman Catholic Church, who has taken a swipe at Washington over the war of aggression on Iran.

Several activists, academics and writers also condemned the desecration of the statue, which was located on the outskirts of the village of Debl in southern Lebanon, near the border with the Israeli-occupied territories.

Social media users also denounced the international silence following attacks by Israeli soldiers and extremist illegal settlers against religious sites and symbols.

“When the Western world remains silent, racists go further,” Tibi pointed out.

Israeli forces repeatedly attacked religious sites, including mosques and churches, during the genocidal war on Gaza.

In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, settlers vandalized or attacked 45 mosques last year, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The bulk of such incidents, which included multiple forms of harassment, including spitting, verbal abuse, vandalism and assaults, took place in the Old City of al-Quds.

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