Israel has sentenced two of its soldiers to military prison after an incident involving the desecration of a Christian religious object in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are operating as part of ongoing cross-border conflict.

According to the Israeli military, one soldier placed a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, while another photographed the act. The image, showing the soldier with a cigarette in his own mouth, circulated widely on social media and triggered public outrage, News.Az reports, citing The Associated Press.

The soldier who posed for the photograph was sentenced to 21 days in military prison, while the soldier who took the picture received 14 days. The military said it “views the incident with great severity” and stressed respect for freedom of religion and worship, as well as for holy sites and religious symbols of all faiths.

The incident followed earlier reports of another case in which an Israeli soldier was seen damaging a statue of Jesus with an axe in the southern Lebanese village of Debel. That event also drew strong condemnation from foreign leaders, Christian representatives and Israeli politicians, and resulted in disciplinary sentences for soldiers involved.

Israeli forces have been deployed in southern Lebanon as part of the ongoing conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which escalated earlier this year. Despite a truce, Israeli troops have remained in the area.

The military also reported that one soldier serving as a driver was killed in combat near the border, bringing the total number of Israeli military deaths in the region since the start of the Iran-related escalation to 18.

Israeli officials maintain that military operations target only buildings used as outposts by Hezbollah. However, the scale of destruction in southern Lebanon has raised concerns among local authorities and residents about the future return of displaced civilians if the fragile ceasefire holds.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova