The Israeli military says it has sentenced two soldiers to prison after one was photographed placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon.
An image that circulated widely online last week showed the soldier posing with his arm around the statue while holding a cigarette to its mouth.
According to the Israeli military, the incident occurred several weeks ago and was later investigated by commanders.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, the soldier documented carrying out the act was sentenced to 21 days of military prison, and the soldier who filmed the incident was sentenced to 14 days of military prison,” the military said.
Israeli military spokeswoman Ariella Mazor described the conduct as a serious violation of military values.
“The IDF views the incident with utmost severity and emphasises that the conduct of the soldier completely deviates from the values expected of its personnel,” she said in a post on X.
The controversy follows another incident in late April involving the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ in the southern Lebanese village of Debl.
In that case, two soldiers reportedly received 30 days of military detention and were removed from combat duties after a photograph showed a soldier using a sledgehammer on the statue.
The Israeli military insisted it respects religious freedom and holy sites.
“The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” Mazor added.