India, April 20 -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that it is investigating an incident in southern Lebanon involving one of its soldiers allegedly defacing a Christian, after images circulating online sparked outrage.

The controversy emerged after a viral post on X showed what appeared to be an Israeli soldier striking a sculpture of Jesus with a hammer and reportedly damaging the face of the statue.

In an official statement, the IDF acknowledged the incident, saying an initial examination found that the photograph indeed depicted one of its soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military responded to the criticism by stating that it considers the incident to be of "great severity" and emphasizing that the s...