Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that an IDF soldier’s damaging of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon is a “shameful action” and apologized for the incident.

Axar.az informs an image shared on social media yesterday by a Lebanese journalist and authenticated by the IDF showed the soldier smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer.

“The damaging of a Christian religious symbol by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon is grave and disgraceful,” Saar wrote on X.

“I’m confident that the necessary strict measures will be taken against whoever carried out this ugly act. This shameful action is completely contrary to our values. Israel is a country that respects the different religions and their sacred symbols, and upholds tolerance and respect among faiths. We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt,” he added.