There has been widespread condemnation after an image of an Israeli soldier apparently hitting a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon went viral.

Israel's prime minister said he was "stunned and saddened". Its foreign minister said: "We apologise for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt."

Locals say the statue was on a crucifix outside a family home on the edge of Debel, one of the few villages where residents have remained during Israel's war with Hezbollah.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it viewed the incident "with great severity and emphasises that the soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops".

The head of Debel's congregation, Father Fadi Flaifel, told the BBC: "We totally reject the desecration of the cross, our sacred symbol, and all religious symbols. It goes against the declaration of human rights, and it doesn't reflect civility." He claimed similar acts had happened before.

The IDF said "appropriate measures will be taken against those involved" and that it was working with the Christian community to "restore the statue to its place".

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, responded on X that "swift, severe, & public consequences are needed."

Thousands of Israeli troops continue to occupy a wide area of southern Lebanon after a US-brokered ceasefire came into force between Israel and Lebanon on Friday. It has paused six weeks of fighting between the IDF and the Shia Muslim armed group Hezbollah, although both sides have accused each other of violations.

The IDF has published a map showing what it calls a "forward defence area" where it is seeking to maintain control. It says it aims to stop Hezbollah firing anti-tank missiles at northern Israel and stop its operatives from attempting any cross-border raids.

Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran two days after Israel and the US launched a war on Tehran.

Israel began a military campaign on 2 March in which more than a million Lebanese have been displaced and more than 2,290 people have been killed, including 177 children and 100 healthcare workers, Lebanese authorities say. Thirteen Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in the same period, Israeli officials say.

Right-wing US commentators were quick to denounce the picture of the Israeli soldier and the statue of Jesus. "Horrific," wrote Matt Gaetz, a former adviser to President Donald Trump and former congressman, as he reposted the photo.

Former US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also shared the picture and wrote: "'Our greatest ally' that takes billions of our tax dollars and weapons every year."

Polls indicate there has been a recent drop in support for Israel in the US, its most important ally. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center, a US-based think tank, suggested 60% of US adults had an unfavourable view of Israel, up from 53% last year.

Last month, there was an international outcry after Israeli police prevented the top Roman Catholic leader in Jerusalem from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private mass on Palm Sunday. Israeli police said this was out of safety concerns during the Iran war.

Huckabee called that episode an "unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world". With Israeli restrictions allowing religious gatherings of up to 50 people at the time, he said the decision to deny the church leaders entry was "difficult to understand or justify".

A 2025 report by the Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organisation which aims to foster better inter-faith relations in the Holy Land, describes a "recent surge in overt animosity towards Christianity", putting this down to "a continued deepening of polarisation and ultra-nationalist political trends".

The social media post about the statue of Jesus by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was written in English. It said that "the Christian population in Israel thrives unlike elsewhere in the Middle East".

He went on: "Israel is the only country in the region that the Christian population and standard of living is growing. Israel is the only place in the Middle East that adheres to freedom of worship for all."