The Israel Defense Forces have jailed two soldiers after a photo showed one placing a cigarette in the mouth of a Virgin Mary statue in a Christian village in southern Lebanon.
The soldier shown in the image received a three-week sentence in military jail. The soldier who took the photograph received two weeks, the IDF said on Monday.
The incident took place in Debel several weeks ago. The photo circulated online on May 6, 2026. Brig. Gen. Sagiv Dahan, commander of the 162nd Division, led the investigation and decided the punishments.
Military response and policy
The IDF stated it views the incident seriously. “The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” the military said. It added that troops receive briefings on proper conduct near religious sites before entering areas like Debel.
Debel is a Christian village where residents were not ordered to evacuate during the fighting with Hezbollah. The group began clashing with Israel in March 2026, shortly after the start of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. A ceasefire reached in mid-April has largely broken down.
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This is not the first reported case in Debel. In April, footage showed a soldier damaging a statue of Jesus. In another incident, military excavators damaged solar panels in the village. The soldiers involved in the Jesus statue case were removed from combat duty. The solar panel incident remains under investigation.
Broader pattern of incidents
Israeli media and rights observers have noted several cases in recent months in which soldiers published or were caught in footage showing damage to property or religious items in southern Lebanon. The military has said it investigates such events and punishes those responsible.
The latest case drew quick attention on social media and from Christian groups. Lebanon’s Christian communities and some international observers criticized the actions as disrespectful to religious sites during military operations.
The IDF has stressed that such behavior does not reflect official policy. It says it works to protect holy sites even while conducting operations against Hezbollah fighters in the area.
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Why this matters
The sentencing comes as Israel manages ground operations and airstrikes in Lebanon while a fragile security situation continues along the border. The incidents in Debel have raised questions about command oversight and troop discipline in populated civilian areas that include religious communities.
Christian leaders in Lebanon and abroad have expressed concern over the repeated events in Christian villages. The cases add to existing tensions between Israel and parts of the Christian population in the region, even as Israel maintains that its campaign targets Hezbollah, not civilians or religious groups.
With Donald Trump as president, the United States continues to support Israel’s security needs against Iran and its allies. However, episodes like the statue incident can complicate diplomatic efforts and public support in countries with large Christian populations.
The punishments signal that the military seeks to enforce standards, but the repeated nature of the events in the same village suggests challenges in implementation on the ground.
