Israel imprisons soldiers for desecrating Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon

Israel’s military has jailed two soldiers after a widely circulated image showed one of them appearing to place a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon.

The photograph, shared online last week, showed an Israeli soldier draping an arm around the statue of Christ’s mother while lifting a cigarette toward her mouth.

The military said the episode happened several weeks ago in southern Lebanon and was later examined by commanders in the field.

“At the conclusion of the investigation, the soldier documented carrying out the act was sentenced to 21 days of military prison, and the soldier who filmed the incident was sentenced to 14 days of military prison,” the military said.

The case is the latest in a series of incidents that have drawn criticism in recent weeks over the conduct of Israeli troops around Christian statues in southern Lebanon.

In late April, the military said two soldiers would be given 30 days of military detention and taken off combat duty after a statue of Jesus Christ was destroyed in the southern Lebanese village of Debl.

In that case, a photo shared online appeared to show an Israeli soldier swinging a sledgehammer at the head of a statue depicting the crucified Jesus.

“The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” Ms Mazor said.

The military has “no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” she added.