ToplineIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Israeli soldier seen destroying a statue of Jesus in Lebanon in a viral photo taken amid Israel’s ceasefire with Lebanon during the U.S.-led war with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsNetanyahu said Monday he was “stunned and saddened” to learn of the incident in a post on X, adding, “I condemn the act in the strongest terms” and promising “harsh disciplinary action against the offender.” The photo shows a soldier hitting the statue of Jesus in the face with an ax or sledgehammer as the crucifix is turned upside down. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the photo was legitimate on Sunday night and said it “views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.”U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also called for “swift, severe, & public consequences” for the “outrageous act by an IDF soldier,” adding it “doesn’t properly represent the IDF, Israel, or the Israeli gov’t,” he wrote on X Monday.The image, first shared by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi on X, was taken in southern Lebanon, a region Israeli troops continue to occupy amid the ceasefire that took effect last week between Israel and Lebanon.Israel told residents in a section of the southern border on Monday to stay out of the territory, citing “ongoing terrorist activities” from Hezbollah, Reuters reported.TangentFadi Falfel, a priest in the Christian town of Debel near the Lebanon-Israel border, said the crucifix was located in a family’s garden, he told Reuters, adding that residents are “still surrounded” by Israeli troops amid the ceasefire and “unable to travel.” Nearly one-third of residents in Lebanon are Christian, according to 2022 State Department statistics.Key BackgroundIsrael launched attacks targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon in the wake of U.S. strikes against Iran in February. The attacks continued in the wake of the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran, with Israel and the U.S. claiming the agreement didn’t include Lebanon and Iran insisting it did. Lebanon and Israel reached a separate 10-day ceasefire agreement that took effect Friday morning. Big Number2,300. That’s how many people have been killed in Lebanon since the U.S. attacked Iran, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Health.Further ReadingTrump Announces Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire—But Netanyahu Says Troops Won’t Leave (Forbes)Israel-Lebanon Peace Talks Could Start Next Week In D.C., Report Says (Forbes)Trump Says Ceasefire Doesn’t Include Lebanon—After Iran Says It Does, And Closes Strait Of Hormuz (Forbes)