Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon and taking photos of the incident. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they have also been relieved of wartime duty. The IDF said six other soldiers were present at the time of the incident, but did not prevent or report the incident. They have been summoned to an explanatory meeting and may face disciplinary action if necessary.
\nA photo circulated on social media on Sunday (April 19) showed an Israeli soldier hitting a statue of the crucified Jesus with a hammer-like object in the southern Lebanese town of Debre. The photo also shows the statue\u2019s head being severed from the cross and being hit. Maroun Nassif, deputy head of the Debre municipality, described the incident as an insult to religious sentiment.
\nThe incident sparked widespread criticism and led to an investigation. The IDF and soldiers described the behavior as \u201ccompletely contrary to the values \u200b\u200bexpected of the military.\u201d In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was \u201cshocked and saddened\u201d by the incident and strongly condemned it.
\nIn a statement on Tuesday (April 21), the Israel Defense Forces said the damaged statue had already been replaced in coordination with local residents. The new statue is made of metal and is mounted on a new cross. The organization expressed deep regret for the incident and promised to take steps to prevent such incidents in the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to 30 days in military prison for destroying a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1?v=1776848734",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1?v=1776848734",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=300%2C169&ssl=1?v=1776848734",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1?v=1776848734",640,360,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1?v=1776848734",640,360,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1?v=1776848734",1280,720,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1?v=1776848734",1280,720,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?resize=1115%2C715&ssl=1?v=1776848734",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?resize=800%2C500&ssl=1?v=1776848734",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1?v=1776848734",1024,576,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?resize=540%2C340&ssl=1?v=1776848734",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1?v=1776848734",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"Biz Trend 24","author_link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/author\/online24"},"category_info":"International<\/a>","tag_info":"International","comment_count":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-28-7.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1?v=1776848734","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32333,"url":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?p=32333&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":64160,"position":0},"title":"7 Israeli soldiers killed in explosion in Khan Younis, Gaza","author":"Biz Trend 24","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that seven Israeli soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion in southern Gaza on Tuesday (June 24) local time. It is reported that their armored vehicle was bombed. The Times of Israel reported this information in a report on Wednesday (June 25). According to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International"","block_context":{"text":"International","link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?cat=115&lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-2025-06-25T114635.666-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-2025-06-25T114635.666-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-2025-06-25T114635.666-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-2025-06-25T114635.666-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Untitled-design-2025-06-25T114635.666-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63933,"url":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?p=63933&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":64160,"position":1},"title":"Two Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon despite ceasefire, IDF claims","author":"Biz Trend 24","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said at least two Israeli soldiers have been killed in the past two days despite a ceasefire in Lebanon, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the ongoing conflict to at least 15. According to the IDF website, Reserve Sergeant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International"","block_context":{"text":"International","link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?cat=115&lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-51-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-51-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-51-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-51-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-51-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28934,"url":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?p=28934&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":64160,"position":2},"title":"Another Israeli soldier killed in Gaza","author":"Biz Trend 24","date":"May 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Another Israeli soldier has been killed in the Palestinian-held Gaza Strip. Another was wounded. Local media reported the news, citing the Israeli military. The Israeli military (IDF) announced on Wednesday (May 21) that Staff Sergeant Danilo Mokanu was killed during fighting in southern Gaza on Tuesday (May 20). Mokanu, who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International"","block_context":{"text":"International","link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?cat=115&lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-2025-05-21T174934.483-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-2025-05-21T174934.483-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-2025-05-21T174934.483-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-2025-05-21T174934.483-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Untitled-design-2025-05-21T174934.483-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40904,"url":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?p=40904&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":64160,"position":3},"title":"Israeli reservist dies of self-inflicted gunshot","author":"Biz Trend 24","date":"September 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A reservist Israeli soldier has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was accidentally shot by an IDF member. The incident occurred in southern Gaza on Saturday (August 30). The Israeli media outlet The Times of Israel confirmed the incident in a report. The deceased Israeli soldier has been identified\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International"","block_context":{"text":"International","link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?cat=115&lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-2025-09-01T112218.386.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-2025-09-01T112218.386.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-2025-09-01T112218.386.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-2025-09-01T112218.386.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-2025-09-01T112218.386.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54188,"url":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?p=54188&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":64160,"position":4},"title":"Israeli soldiers arrested for allegedly stealing 250 goats from Syria","author":"Biz Trend 24","date":"January 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A group of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have been accused of stealing nearly 250 goats from Syria and smuggling them to farms in the occupied West Bank. A report by Israeli media outlet Channel 12 said that a battalion of the Golan Brigade operating in the Golan Heights carried\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International"","block_context":{"text":"International","link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?cat=115&lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled_design_-_2026-01-17T122002.872_1200x630.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1%3Fv%3D1768630897&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled_design_-_2026-01-17T122002.872_1200x630.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1%3Fv%3D1768630897&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled_design_-_2026-01-17T122002.872_1200x630.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1%3Fv%3D1768630897&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled_design_-_2026-01-17T122002.872_1200x630.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1%3Fv%3D1768630897&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled_design_-_2026-01-17T122002.872_1200x630.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1%3Fv%3D1768630897&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38099,"url":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?p=38099&lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":64160,"position":5},"title":"5 Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli shelling","author":"Biz Trend 24","date":"August 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A journalist for Qatar-based international news outlet Al Jazeera, Anas Al Sharif, was killed in an Israeli military operation. The IDF has confirmed the incident. According to information provided by Al Jazeera about the attack, it is also known that the IDF attacked a temporary tent for journalists outside Al-Shifa\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bangladesh"","block_context":{"text":"Bangladesh","link":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/?cat=103&lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-2025-08-11T115448.198-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-2025-08-11T115448.198-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-2025-08-11T115448.198-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-2025-08-11T115448.198-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biztrend24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Untitled-design-2025-08-11T115448.198-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64160"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64163,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64160\/revisions\/64163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/64161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biztrend24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}