Israeli army to launch criminal investigation after soldier strikes Jesus statue in Lebanon

Netanyahu says ‘harsh disciplinary action’ will be taken after IDF confirms sledgehammer photo is authentic The Israeli military is conducting a criminal investigation after a soldier was photographed striking a Catholic statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon. Israel’s military officials said they had determined that an image circulating on social media showing the incident was authentic. The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off a cross. The Catholic sculpture is located in Debl, a Christian village in south Lebanon near the border with Israel, the local municipality said. Officials could not say whether it had been damaged. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the defacing of the religious symbol and said that he was “stunned and saddened” when he found out about it. He added that “harsh disciplinary action” would be taken against the individual responsible. The Israeli military said it was working with people in the village to “restore the statue in its place”. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said the soldier in the photo had been ide