The Daily Populous

Monday April 20th, 2026 day edition

image for Israel news: Israeli Defence Forces IDF confirms photo of soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon is real

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has launched an investigation after confirming a photo showing one of its soldiers destroying a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon is real.

The image, initially shared by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi on X, showed a soldier using a hammer to topple a statue of Jesus Christ.

Tirawi claimed the soldier was from the IDF and was operating in southern Lebanon, though it is unclear when the photo was taken.

The IDF insists the actions of the soldier are "wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops."

The IDF has confirmed through multiple channels that the image is real and is now investigating the incident.

Israel had been conducting a military operation in southern Lebanon, where it was launching strikes against the militant group Hezbollah.

The IDF claims it is operating in southern Lebanon to disrupt the operations of Hezbollah, which is aligned with Iran. »

Ukraine Moves to Replace Frontline Soldiers With 25,000 Ground Robots — UNITED24 Media

Authored by united24media.com

“Our goal — 100% of frontline logistics should be performed by robotic systems,” he stated.

Ukrainian forces carried out more than 9,000 logistics and evacuation missions using ground robots in March alone, and approximately 21,500 missions during the first quarter of 2026.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the operation was carried out using drones and ground robotic platforms, forcing Russian troops to surrender. »

Iran Says It Won't Negotiate With 'Erratic' Trump After Genocidal Threat to 'Blow Up' Whole Country

Authored by commondreams.org

Iran says it has no plans to negotiate with the US after President Donald Trump said Sunday that "the whole country is going to get blown up" if Iran refuses to make a deal.

Even before Trump made more such threats Sunday morning, Iran had not yet agreed to another round of talks.

"Due to poor discipline, Trump ends up prioritizing the optics of victory over actually getting a deal," Parsi said. »