The Israeli Defence Forces have sanctioned two officers involved in the vandalism of a statue depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and replaced the damaged structure with a similar one. 

Authorities in Beirut withheld the officers’ identities. 

“The enquiry determined that the soldiers’ conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values,” reads a statement from the Israeli military on Tuesday.

An Israeli officer was photographed hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in Debel, a predominantly Christian village in Southern Lebanon, on Monday. 

The viral picture showed the officer smashing the head of a statue depicting Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross.

The officer who damaged the statue and a colleague who documented the act were removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in military detention. The IDF said the six additional soldiers present at the scene who failed to intervene will also be investigated.

“It was decided that the soldier who damaged the Christian symbol and the soldier who photographed the act will be removed from combat duty and will receive 30 days of military detention,” the statement said. “The remaining troops who stood by have been summoned for clarification discussions that will be held later on, after which further command-level measures will be determined.”

The enquiry followed an earlier vow by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing “harsh disciplinary action” against the officers.

“I condemn the act in the strongest terms,” Mr Netanyahu said in a statement on Monday. 

To placate rising anger and global condemnation over the perceived desecration of a symbolic Christian icon, Mr Netanyahu said he was “stunned and saddened” by the viral picture and apologised “for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world.”

The Israeli Defence Forces echoed similar sentiments, saying harming a Christian symbol was inconsistent with its values.

“The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasises that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” the military said on Monday.

The IDF has also erected a new structure to replace the damaged statue, while reiterating its goal to dismantle Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon.

“The IDF is operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” the military stated.