Anger over the vandalism of Jesus ' statue in Lebanon by an Israeli soldier

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “shocked and sad” by what happened.

And Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said: “We apologize for this incident and for every Christian whose feelings were hurt”, reports BBC, broadcast Periscope.

The locals say that the statue was on a cross outside a family home on the outskirts of Debel, one of the few villages where the inhabitants remained during Israel's war with Hezbollah.

The head of the Debel Congregation, Father Fadi Flaifel, told the BBC: “We completely reject the desecration of the cross, our sacred symbol and all religious symbols.

This goes against the human rights declaration and does not reflect civilization. ”

He claimed similar acts had occurred earlier.

The Israeli Army confirmed that the image that circulated in social media was true and said it saw the incident “with great severity and stresses that the soldier's behaviour is entirely contrary to the values expected by its body”.

The relevant “measures will be taken against those involved, the Israeli Protection Forces added (IDF), saying they were working with the Christian community to install the statue in its country”. /Periscope