Two Israeli soldiers face military prison after desecrating a Virgin Mary statue in southern Lebanon, an incident that fueled outrage.
Newsroom (12/05/2026 Gaudium Press )Two Israeli soldiers will spend weeks in military prison after being convicted of desecrating a Christian religious object in southern Lebanon, an incident that triggered widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of Israeli military conduct in the region.
According to Israel’s military, one soldier was sentenced to 21 days in military prison after posing for a photo in which he placed a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary. The second soldier, who photographed the scene, received a 14-day sentence. The image showed the posing soldier with a cigarette dangling from his own mouth and quickly went viral on social media, drawing sharp condemnation.
The incident was widely denounced as anti-Christian and occurred amid Israel’s continued military presence in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces launched a ground invasion earlier this year targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. Christian leaders and residents in the region have voiced alarm over repeated damage to religious symbols and sites during the fighting.
In a statement posted on X, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor said the Israeli army “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 confirmed the disciplinary measures and emphasized that such conduct violates its standards.
The photograph circulated only days after another controversial episode in southern Lebanon, when images emerged showing an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the village of Debel. That earlier act drew condemnation from foreign leaders, Christian authorities and Israeli politicians alike. Soldiers involved in that incident were also sentenced to time in military prison.
Israeli forces took control of parts of southern Lebanon as part of the latest Israel–Hezbollah conflict, which began on March 2. The fighting erupted after Hezbollah fired missiles across the border two days after the United States and Israel launched their war with Iran. Although a fragile truce has been in place for weeks, Israeli forces have remained on the ground.
The military says its operations are focused solely on structures used as outposts by Hezbollah. However, the scale of destruction across southern Lebanese towns has raised concerns among Lebanese officials and residents, many of whom fear that displaced families may have little to return to if the ceasefire holds.
Also on Monday, Israel’s military reported that a soldier serving as a driver was killed in combat near the border. His death brought the toll to 18 Israeli soldiers killed in the area since the start of the war with Iran.
As tensions persist, the punishment of the two soldiers underscores the Israeli military’s stated commitment to religious respect, while highlighting the deep sensitivities surrounding holy sites in a region already strained by conflict and displacement.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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