Italian Peacekeepers Fix Jesus Statue After Israeli Soldiers’ Vandalism

Italian peacekeepers have replaced a statue of Jesus Christ in a village in southern Lebanon after an Israeli soldier was pictured taking what appears to be a hammer or ax to the figure.

Israel apologized and placed two soldiers in detention after the image caused outrage in Christian communities in Lebanon and across the world. Another six soldiers have been questioned over the incident, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “wholly inconsistent with the values expected” of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

On Wednesday, Italian peacekeepers escorted Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the Vatican’s ambassador to Lebanon, to the predominantly Christian village of Debel, where they were met by church bells and applause.

The small village in southern Lebanon has been mostly cut off from the rest of the country by the two-month war between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.

Debel is one of 55 Lebanese towns and villages currently occupied by Israeli forces and four miles west of Bint Jbeil, a place believed by the IDF to be a Hezbollah stronghold and the scene of recent fighting.

Debel’s residents say Israeli troops restrict almost all travel to and from their village.

Some 1,600 people remain in Debel, including 500 children, down from a pre-war population of around 4,000.