(LifeSiteNews) — Christians in Lebanon rejoiced on Wednesday when Italian soldiers serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) helped replace a large crucifix in their town after Israeli soldiers had desecrated the former statue and uploaded the deed to social media.

“The townspeople of Debel are so very happy and appreciative to have their statue of Jesus Christ once again present among us,” Father Fadi Felefli, a local priest, told Our Sunday Visitor.

“Yesterday, Lebanon’s papal nuncio, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, came to Debel for the installation of the statue in our town,” the pastor of St. George Catholic Church said of the Wednesday event.

Debel is one of the Christian towns in southern Lebanon that have defied Israeli evacuation orders and resolved to remain in their homes as “the first line of defense for the Christian presence in Lebanon.”

READ: Christians vow to remain in Lebanon despite increasing threats to safety, evacuation orders

Last Sunday, a photograph surfaced on X and other social media outlets showing an Israeli soldier smashing the head of the statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer while another soldier recorded the incident and more observed without intervention. The image quickly went viral and sparked global outrage among Christians.

On Monday, the Catholic bishops of the Holy Land issued an “unreserved condemnation” of the desecration. Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa stated that the act “constitutes a grave affront to the Christian faith and adds to other reported incidents of desecration of Christian symbols by IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon.”

The bishops called for “immediate and decisive disciplinary action, a credible process of accountability, and clear assurances that such conduct will not be tolerated or repeated.”

Perhaps in response to the widespread outrage, the Israeli army (IDF) confirmed the photo’s authenticity and stated that the soldier’s conduct was “wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” that the incident was “being investigated by the Northern Command” and “appropriate measures will be taken against those involved.”

And despite their troops’ mass looting while they demolished homes and bridges in their occupied region, the Israeli military added that it, nonetheless, had “no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” and was “working to assist the community in restoring the statue to its place.”

Just days after their crucifix was destroyed by an IDF soldier, Italian UNIFIL helped to replace it with a new one in the town of Debel.

🇱🇧🤝🇮🇹

Israel has arrested the soldier who did it, and donated a separate crucifix. pic.twitter.com/GNvTxRmmJ2

— Middle East Catholic Aesthetics (@MidEastCathAes) April 22, 2026

Reports indicate that the IDF did offer a smaller, stylistically different crucifix for the former outdoor spot, but residents and clergy preferred and celebrated a full-sized replica resembling the original, provided and installed by the Italian UNIFIL contingent in coordination with the community at the exact location.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed gratitude to the Italian soldiers, stating, “I wish to thank Commander Diodato Abagnara and all the Italian UNIFIL Contingent for deciding to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debel.”

“The footage of the statue being delivered to the community and put into position, in the same place where the previous statue was destroyed by an IDF soldier a few days ago, is truly heartwarming and provides a powerful message of hope, dialogue, and peace.” she said regarding a video.

The two soldiers directly involved with the desecration — one who wielded the sledgehammer and one who filmed — were reportedly sentenced by the IDF to 30 days in military jail and removed from combat duty. Six other soldiers present who did not intervene or report the act were summoned for clarification discussions.

Such anti-Christian desecrations by radical Israelis commonplace

Commenting on the incident in a Thursday episode, Tucker Carlson echoed Cardinal Pizzaballa’s affirmation that this particular desecration of Christian property and religious symbols is not an isolated incident proceeding from Israeli soldiers or radical Jewish citizens either.

After providing many more examples of such behavior, he interviewed Alice Kisiya, a Palestinian Christian activist from Bethlehem who, in addition to sharing her harrowing story of protecting her family’s property from radical Jewish aggressions, also affirmed that such anti-Christian desecrations from these groups are commonplace.

Responding to a question regarding the incident in Debel, she confirmed that “this is not the first time … The settlers have been vandalizing our Christian symbols multiple times … They have broken the statue of Virgin Mary, they have broken also the icon, the picture of Virgin Mary, they have vandalized the cross … They have been spitting on our priests and writing bad words on the churches,” she said.  So, with regards to this desecration of the cross, Kisiya remarked, “I’m not surprised.”

Tucker: ‘American Christians need to reassess their support for Israel’

According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, since escalation in the conflict began on March 2, 2026, Israel has killed approximately 2,483 Lebanese, including 177 children and at least one priest, while wounding 7,602. They have also displaced over 1.2 million people, 20% of the nation’s population, as they continue the de facto military occupation across southern Lebanon, destroying homes and preventing displaced locals from returning.

Additionally, since October 2023, the Israelis have killed at least 72,568 people in Gaza, including around 22,000 children and 33,000 women.

In reflecting on this desecration of the crucifix in Debel, Catholic humanitarian and Vulnerable People Project founder Jason Jones posted, “I’m grateful that Christians are speaking out against the IDF’s desecration of Christian symbols. But it raises the question: Why didn’t years of bombing, starvation, displacement, and theft against Christian communities provoke the same level of outrage?”

For his part, Carlson concluded, “American Christians need to reassess their support for Israel.”