The sculpture of the crucified Jesus was installed in the Christian village of Deir Bla in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel.

In her statement, Meloni thanked the Italian contingent of the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL for “the decision to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Deir Bla.” She said the installation of the new statue was “a powerful message of hope, dialogue, and peace.”

Italian troops serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have now replaced the statue with local residents, according to the Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani.

Antonio Tajani told the Senate: “We expressed indignation at the acts of vandalism committed against symbols of the Christian faith by Israeli forces”, according to Italian outlet ANSA.

“These are intolerable offences that violate religious freedom and the values on which civil coexistence is founded. For this reason, I appreciated the Israeli government's firm condemnation and the immediate arrest of those responsible.

“We are proud of our men in UNIFIL, who donated a new statue of Jesus to replace the one destroyed by an Israeli soldier. This is the hallmark of our armed forces. Peacekeepers who are appreciated and respected throughout the world”, Tajani added during the question-time event on Thursday, April 23.