Soldier who put cigarette in mouth of Virgin Mary statue will be disciplined, IDF says

A soldier seen in a photo placing a cigarette into the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, will be disciplined, the military says.

In response to a query, the IDF says that it “views the incident gravely and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct completely deviates from the values expected of its troops.”

An initial inquiry conducted by the IDF found that the photo was taken in the village of Debel several weeks ago, although it was only shared online today. The photo was taken in the same village where a soldier smashed a statue of Jesus last month.

“The incident will be investigated, and command measures against the soldier will be taken in accordance with the findings,” the IDF says.

The military says it “respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities” and has “no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” amid its fighting against Hezbollah.