Two Israeli Soldiers Sentenced to Prison for Desecrating Virgin Mary Statue in Lebanon

Two Israeli soldiers will serve time in military prison after one placed a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon and another took a photograph of the act. The image, which also showed the photographer with a cigarette in his own mouth, spread rapidly online and prompted widespread outrage.

It marks the second such incident involving Christian symbols by Israeli troops in the region in recent days. The military announced that the soldier who carried out the act received a 21-day sentence while the one who filmed it received 14 days. A military spokesperson wrote on X that the incident was viewed with great severity and that the military respects freedom of religion and worship as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.

The photo emerged days after images circulated showing an Israeli soldier using an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the southern Lebanon village of Debel. That earlier incident was condemned by foreign leaders, Christian leaders and Israeli politicians.

Soldiers involved in damaging the crucifix were also sentenced to time in military prison.

Israeli forces have maintained a presence in southern Lebanon following a ground invasion that began after the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired missiles over the border. The border clashes escalated two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their war with Iran.

A weeks-long truce is now in place, but Israeli troops have not fully withdrawn. The military has stated that its forces target only buildings used as outposts by the militant group. However, the scale of destruction in the area has raised concerns among Lebanese officials and residents that many people displaced by the fighting will have few habitable places to return to if the truce holds.

The incidents come amid ongoing sensitivity over religious sites in the multi-confessional region. Both events were denounced as anti-Christian by critics inside and outside Israel. The swift disciplinary action follows similar punishment for the soldiers involved in the Jesus statue desecration earlier in the same area.

Both cases involved objects inside or near Christian sites in villages where Israeli troops have operated since the ground offensive began in March. The militant group initiated cross-border missile fire on March 2, prompting the Israeli response. Lebanese officials have expressed alarm over the cumulative damage to infrastructure and cultural sites, warning it could complicate returns for thousands of displaced civilians even if the current truce remains intact.