JERUSALEM, April 20 -- Israel's army said today it had determined that an image circulating on social media showing one of its soldiers in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ is authentic.

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

The sculpture is located in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel, the local municipality told AFP, but officials could not say whether it had been damaged.

Israel's army said in a post on its official X account today that it viewed the incident with "great severity", adding that the "soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its t...