Two Israeli soldiers face military prison after viral video in Lebanon
Israeli troops will serve military prison time after one soldier allegedly desecrated a Christian statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon and another soldier photographed the act, the Israeli military said. The case drew widespread outrage after a photo of the soldier with a cigarette near the statue went viral, with Christian leaders and foreign officials condemning it.
The military said the soldier who posed would spend 21 days in military prison. It said the soldier who photographed the act would serve 14 days.
In a statement shared on X, Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor said the military “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,” according to the Israeli military.
The photo circulated days after images of an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in the southern Lebanon village of Debel. Those images were roundly condemned by foreign leaders, Christian leaders and Israeli politicians, and the Israeli military later sentenced soldiers who participated in that act to time in military prison.
The new disciplinary action comes as Israel’s forces maintain control of parts of southern Lebanon during the current Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel’s ground invasion into the area began earlier this year, and the conflict began on March 2 after Hezbollah fired missiles over the border two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their war with Iran.
While Israel’s military says it targets buildings used as outposts by the Iran-backed group, Lebanese officials and residents have said the pace and scale of destruction have raised fears about whether displaced people will have anywhere to return if the fragile truce holds.
Also Monday, Israel’s military said a soldier who worked as a driver was killed in combat near the border, marking the 18th person to die in the area since the start of the Iran war.