'Israeli' military jails soldiers who desecrated, photographed statue of Virgin Mary in Lebanon
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- Two 'Israeli' soldiers jailed after incident involving Virgin Mary statue in southern Lebanon.
- Case follows earlier reports of damage to religious symbols in the same village.
The 'Israeli' military has jailed two soldiers after they were filmed desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in the southern Lebanese village of Debel, in an incident that has drawn widespread condemnation online.
The soldiers were punished after a photograph circulated on social media showing one of them holding a cigarette to the mouth of the statue. The other soldier was seen documenting the act.
Read more: 'Israeli' soldier reportedly desecrates Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon
According to the 'Israeli' Defense Forces, the incident took place several weeks ago in Debel, a predominantly Christian village in southern Lebanon that has been under 'Israeli' military occupation for weeks.
The soldier seen in the image was sentenced to 21 days in military prison, while the soldier who took the photograph received a 14-day sentence.
The image sparked backlash after it spread widely across social media platforms, prompting scrutiny of conduct by troops operating in the area.
Read more: ‘Israel’ army says investigating soldier mocking Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon
The 'Israeli' military said it treats the incident with “great severity” and emphasized its stated commitment to respecting religious freedom and protecting holy sites and symbols of all faiths.
“The IDF views the incident with great severity and respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” the military said in a statement.
The case is the latest in a series of reported incidents in Debel. Earlier, the 'Israeli' military detained two soldiers and questioned six others after a separate incident in which a statue of Jesus Christ was allegedly damaged in April.
Days later, the military also launched a review after a video appeared to show troops damaging solar panels and a vehicle in the same area.
