Italian UNIFIL Contingent Replaces Crucifix Smashed by Israeli Soldier in Lebanese Village of Debel

Italian peacekeepers restore a crucifix in Debel after an IDF soldier destroyed the original. Two Israeli soldiers face jail as tensions remain high in Lebanon.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 23, 2026, 3:07 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

Peacekeepers Restore Desecrated Religious Shrine

Soldiers from the Italian contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) led a ceremony on Wednesday to restore a religious landmark in the predominantly Christian village of Debel. The original statue of Jesus, located in a private residential garden near the town’s edge, was destroyed earlier this week by an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer or axe. According to reports from the village, the Italian command’s Western Sector organized the donation as a gesture of solidarity with the local community, which has remained in the border region despite intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Conflicting Replacement Efforts by Israeli Military

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also attempted to rectify the situation by delivering a replacement crucifix to the village on Tuesday. However, Lebanese media and local residents noted that the Israeli-provided statue was significantly smaller and utilized a different artistic style than the one that was vandalized. Photos circulated by local monitoring groups showed members of the Debel community carrying the IDF’s statue away from the original site, as they chose to install the UNIFIL-donated piece instead. The Italian version was reportedly selected because it was an nearly identical match to the historical original that had stood for years.

Disciplinary Actions Against Vandals Confirmed

Following a rapid internal investigation by the IDF’s Northern Command, military authorities announced that the soldier who smashed the statue and a second soldier who filmed the act have been sentenced to 30 days in military detention. Both individuals were permanently removed from combat roles, with the military describing their conduct as a "moral failure" that deviated from the expected values of the service. Additionally, six other soldiers present at the scene were summoned for disciplinary hearings for failing to intervene or report the desecration as it occurred.