Stephanie Rady
20 April 2026•Update: 21 April 2026
Lebanese priest Dany Darghem condemned on Monday the destruction of a statue of Jesus by an Israeli soldier in the southern town of Debel, saying it “violates freedom of belief and the sanctity of what others hold sacred.”
“The real danger lies not in breaking stone but in undermining the values it represents—love, dignity, truth, and freedom,” Darghem told Anadolu. “This condemned act does not break faith.”
Footage showing an Israeli soldier smashing the statue in southern Lebanon sparked widespread anger locally and internationally, with religious and political condemnation of the soldier’s attack on a religious symbol.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar issued an apology Monday, describing the incident as “grave and disgraceful,” and said an investigation had been opened to hold those responsible accountable.
Darghem said such actions are “rejected in principle and form because religious symbols are not mere stones but express the faith of a community and its spiritual dignity.”
“What happened is a condemned act because it violates freedom of belief and the sanctity of what others believe in,” he added.
“The real danger begins when we lose love and peace and replace them with violence; at that point, religion is harmed at its core, not in its outward forms,” he warned.
The incident is not the first involving damage to Christian symbols in Lebanon. In September 2024, Israeli airstrikes destroyed the Saint George Church in the town of Derdghaya in the Tyre district. In April 2025, Israeli forces demolished a statue of Saint George in the town of Yaroun in Nabatieh province.
Since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 2,294 people, wounded 7,544, and displaced more than 1 million, according to official figures.
US President Donald Trump announced Thursday a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon following calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio
