Italian UN peacekeepers have replaced the statue of Jesus Christ vandalised by Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.

The sculpture of a crucified Jesus was located in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel.

A photo shared online showed an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of the statue, sparking international condemnation.

Meloni in a statement thanked the Italian contingent of the UN’s UNIFIL peacekeeping force “for deciding to donate a new crucifix to the Lebanese village of Debl”.

She said the instalment of the new statue was “a powerful message of hope, dialogue and peace”.

The Israeli military said last week that two soldiers would receive 30 days of military detention and be removed from combat duty over the destruction of the statue.

It said six additional soldiers who “were present at the scene and did not act to stop the incident or report it” had been summoned for “clarification discussions”.

Israel has conducted airstrikes across Lebanon and invaded the country’s south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2 with strikes on Israel.

The fighting has killed more than 2,400 people and displaced more than a million in Lebanon, with the death toll continuing to rise even after a ceasefire came into effect last week, as more bodies are found under the rubble.

Israel has lost 15 soldiers in the war.