Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Monday morning apologized for an IDF soldier damaging a statue of Jesus in a Lebanese village.
In his statement, Sa'ar said that the soldier's actions are not aligned with Israel's values, and promised that the incident would be dealt with appropriately.
"The damaging of a Christian religious symbol by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon is grave and disgraceful," Sa'ar stated. "I commend the IDF for its statement, for condemning the incident, and for conducting an investigation into the matter. I’m confident that the necessary strict measures will be taken against whoever carried out this ugly act."
He emphasized, "This shameful action is completely contrary to our values."
"Israel is a country that respects the different religions and their sacred symbols, and upholds tolerance and respect among faiths.
"We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt."
The incident is especially serious since the village of Debl, Lebanon, where the incident occurred is one of three Christian villages which received special permission from Israel not to evacuate their homes, and even received humanitarian assistance from Israel.