JERUSALEM, April 20 -- The Israeli army said yesterday that it was looking into the authenticity of an image circulating on social media that appears to show a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer.

Spokesman Nadav Shoshani said on X that the army "is currently examining the reliability of the photograph".

"If this is indeed a real, recent picture, these actions do not align with the IDF's values and the behavior expected of IDF soldiers. The incident will be investigated thoroughly and in depth, and if necessary, steps will be taken in accordance with the findings," he added.

The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had ...