Two Israeli soldiers have been jailed for placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Monday, in an incident which was widely condemned.
The swift disciplinary action came after a photo of the incident went viral.
The soldier posing was sentenced to 21 days in military prison, and the soldier who photographed it was sentenced to 14 days, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The military “views the incident with utmost severity and emphasizes that the conduct of the soldier completely deviates from the values expected of its personnel,” IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor wrote on X. “The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.”
Israel’s special envoy to the Christian world said the incident was treated with the seriousness it deserved.
“Such behavior stands in direct contradiction to the values of the State of Israel, which is committed to respecting freedom of religion, holy sites, and religious symbols of all faiths and communities,” Ambassador George Deek, who served as the first Christian Ambassador of the Jewish state, tweeted on X.
He said that the military has reinforced guidelines for conduct around religious institutions and symbols for forces who are operating against Hezbollah in the country.
The military investigation found that the photo was taken in the southern Lebanese village of Debel several weeks ago, and posted online last week.
The incident comes a week after two Israeli soldiers were jailed for 30 days and dismissed from combat duty after one damaged a statue of Jesus in the village and the other photographed the widely condemned incident.
