Israeli army rebukes soldier after placing cigarette on Virgin Mary statue

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has condemned an incident captured in a photo in which an Israeli soldier desecrated a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon by attaching a cigarette to it, according to an IDF spokesperson statement.

When asked about the incident, the IDF said that it “views the incident gravely and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct completely deviates from the values expected of its troops,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

According to the Israeli military, the photograph was taken several weeks ago. It added that the circumstances of the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and the soldier will be held accountable based on the findings.

The IDF also stressed that the army “respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities” and has “no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” amid its fighting against Hezbollah.

The incident adds to a series of similar cases in which footage has emerged showing Israeli soldiers — often recorded by the troops themselves — damaging or looting property. Debel was also the site where a soldier was filmed destroying a statue of Jesus last month, and where military excavators were seen in footage damaging solar panels.

By Jeyhun Aghazada