Two Israeli soldiers were sentenced to several weeks in military prison for desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Last week, a photo emerged showing a minister hugging the statue in the predominantly Christian village of Debel, near the Israeli border, and placing a cigarette in the statue’s mouth. The photo sparked outrage on social media and led to an official investigation.
On Monday, IDF spokeswoman Ariella Mazor said the soldier who took the picture with the statue and the soldier who took the picture were sentenced to 21 and 14 days in prison, respectively.
“The IDF views the incident very seriously and respects the freedom of religion and worship, as well as the holy places and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” Mazor wrote on X.
Last month, two IDF soldiers were dismissed and each sentenced to 30 days in military prison after one smashed the head of a statue of Jesus Christ in a village with a hammer while the other filmed the act. The IDF said six other soldiers who were present but failed to intervene or report the incident will be recalled “explanatory discussion.”
The IDF expanded its operations in southern Lebanon and began targeting targets in Beirut and other cities in early March after the Hezbollah rebel group fired missiles at Israel in solidarity with Iran. The cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese government, which went into effect on April 16, could not prevent renewed fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah.
Christian communities have reported a series of incidents involving religious sites and Israeli forces in recent years. In 2023, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza struck a building near the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, the enclave’s main Christian temple, killing at least 18 people. In 2025, explosives from an Israeli tank destroyed Gaza’s Holy Family Church, the only Catholic parish in the area, killing three people.
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