Israeli army investigates soldier seen striking Jesus statue in Lebanon

IDF says sledgehammer photo circulating online is authentic and is being viewed with ‘great severity’

The Israeli army has said it is investigating a soldier who was seen apparently striking a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces 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.