Church leaders point to inhospitable political atmosphere as they lock compounds at night; government ministries insist they are actively combating ill-treatment

Recently revamped building in northern city of Ma'alot-Tarshiha had religious items smashed, equipment broken over Christmas period; Maronite leader says 'everything is destroyed'

FBI hate crime statistics show that incidents in churches, synagogues, temples and mosques increased 34.8% between 2014 and 2018

Rev. Michael Anthony Day, pastor of the Legacy International Worship Center, says first call of support he received was from Rabbi Ron Symons of the Jewish community center

First-of-its-kind confab with Jews, Muslims and Christians held at FBI headquarters in Washington amid spate of attacks on religious institutions in US, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Shlomo Aviner, who moved to Israel from France in the 1960s, suggests fire that gutted iconic church may have been divine retribution for burning of Jewish manuscripts in 1242