A crucifix which was smashed by an Israeli soldier in southern Lebanon has been replaced by Italian United Nations peacekeepers.
Two soldiers have been jailed for 30 days and removed from duty, after one took a sledgehammer to the statue of Jesus while the other took pictures. Images of the incident appeared over the weekend.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said on X that its troops had replaced the crucifix on Tuesday, which was in the garden of a Christian family living in Debel. Pictures appeared to show it was smaller, in a different style to the crucifix that was smashed, and propped up on a tree rather than freely standing.
Italian troops serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have now replaced the statue with local residents, according to the country’s Deputy Prime Minister.
Antonio Tajani told the Senate: “We expressed indignation at the acts of vandalism committed against symbols of the Christian faith by Israeli forces”, according to Italian outlet ANSA.
“These are intolerable offences that violate religious freedom and the values on which civil coexistence is founded. For this reason, I appreciated the Israeli government's firm condemnation and the immediate arrest of those responsible.
“We are proud of our men in UNIFIL, who donated a new statue of Jesus to replace the one destroyed by an Israeli soldier. This is the hallmark of our armed forces. Peacekeepers who are appreciated and respected throughout the world”, Tajani added during the question-time event on Thursday.
The new crucifix is in the same style as the one that was smashed. Pictures, shared by Debel Alerts on Facebook, show the forces working with church representatives and locals to put it up.
There was worldwide condemnation after images emerged of the statue being smashed. Catholic leaders in the Holy Land expressed their “profound indignation”.
Six IDF officers who were present and did not intervene could face disciplinary action.