An Israeli soldier was photographed striking the head of a fallen statue of the crucified Christ with a sledgehammer in the Maronite Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, an act of desecration that has provoked profound outrage among Christians worldwide and drawn apology and condemnation from Israeli leaders at the highest levels.
The image, which circulated rapidly on social media over the weekend and was verified as authentic by the Israel Defense Forces on Monday, April 20, 2026, shows the soldier using the blunt side of an axe or sledgehammer against the sculpture on a crucifix outside a family home on the edge of Debel, one of the few Christian communities where residents remained during Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah.
