IDF slams soldiers for burning a Lebanese flag amid ground invasion
Military insists Israel’s war is against Hezbollah, not the Lebanese people; unclear whether disciplinary action taken against troops in video one of them posted on social media
An Israeli military spokesperson on Saturday condemned a group of soldiers for burning a Lebanese flag during operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.
A video of the flag burning had been posted on social media by one of the Israeli soldiers involved and it was later uncovered by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi who tweeted it out on Friday, sparking enough uproar for the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee to weigh in.
The clip features around half a dozen people soldiers jumping and singing a religious maxim as one of them sets fire to the Lebanese flag with a lighter.
“We view the act of some soldiers burning the Lebanese flag in southern Lebanon as a violation of orders, inconsistent with the values of the defense forces, and misaligned with the goals of our military activities in Lebanon,” said Adraee in an Arabic tweet.
“Our war is against the terrorist Hezbollah, which has never been truly Lebanese in creed, ideology, or identity,” he wrote.
The post did not mention any possible sanctions against the soldiers, and the IDF did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the matter.
South Lebanon |
Israeli soldiers from Golani’s special operations unit burning the lebanese flag pic.twitter.com/lQk8fTFuH2
— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) November 8, 2024
Adraee’s post did, however, include a video allegedly showing a Hezbollah militant tearing a Lebanese flag off its pole and replacing it with the group’s banner.
Tirawi has published countless videos and pictures that were first posted on social media by Israeli soldiers themselves, documenting apparent misconduct while in Gaza and Lebanon since the start of the war.
Israeli troops have been in southern Lebanon since late September, when it broadened its operations against Hezbollah, whose near-daily cross-border strikes since October 2023 have forced tens of thousands of Israelis to evacuate from their homes.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
