A church in Nazareth, which is built over a spring where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce she was carrying the baby Jesus, has been attacked by a group calling themselves 'Soldiers of God'.
The group removed the outer gate of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation while it was closed and rang the bell without permission on Sunday evening. Video footage appears to show a Greek Orthodox priest attempting to control a small crowd with some protestors hitting others in the crowd with wooden crosses.
Police were called and the National Democratic Assembly in Nazareth condemned the 'Soldiers of God', calling it "an attack on Nazareth and its people, an unsuccessful attempt to desecrate the city's national position and its people, and an attempt to sow discord and promote foreign and strange agendas to our community."
A statement from the church said: "The Orthodox Community Council will not allow the desecration of a holy place, has filed a police complaint, and will follow up on it."
The church, which is also known as the Church of Saint Gabriel, said the 'Soldiers of God' claimed they were protesting the Islamic State terror attack on a church in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed at least 20 people last month.