Photo of the soldiers first released by @TrackingIsrael on X.
‘Israel’ army says investigating soldier mocking Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
The ‘Israeli’ military announced Thursday that it had opened an investigation after a photo spread online showing one of its soldiers placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon.
A photo circulated on social media Wednesday showing an ‘Israeli’ soldier appearing to embrace the statue with one hand while placing a cigarette in its mouth with the other.
Asked about the incident, the ‘Israeli’ military claimed it “views the incident gravely and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct completely deviates from the values expected of its troops”.
It added that the incident will be investigated, and commanders will take action against the soldier in accordance with the findings of the investigation.
The military noted that an initial review showed the photo had been taken several weeks ago.
Last month, another image circulated showing an ‘Israeli’ soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer in the Christian town of Debel in southern Lebanon near the border with ‘Israel’.
The ‘Israeli’ military later announced that the two soldiers involved had been detained for 30 days and removed from military service.
