Israeli Soldier Places Cigarette in Virgin Mary Statue in Debel, Lebanon, Triggers IDF Probe

An Israeli soldier was shown in a viral photo placing a cigarette into the mouth of a Virgin Mary statue while smoking one himself in the Christian-majority village of Debel in southern Lebanon, prompting an Israeli military investigation.

Al Jazeera said the photo was taken in Debel several weeks earlier but was only shared online on Wednesday, and it described the image as part of a series of incidents involving Israeli soldiers desecrating religious sites and destroying or looting property in southern Lebanon.

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The Israeli military said it viewed the “incident gravely” and promised action against the soldier, according to The Times of Israel, while also stating that it “respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.”

Middle East Eye reported that the Israeli military said it had identified the soldier and that he would be disciplined, and it said the military found the picture was taken some weeks ago even though it was shared on Wednesday.

Middle East Eye said the Israeli army dismissed the soldier who smashed the statue of Jesus and sentenced both that soldier and another who filmed the incident to 30 days in military prison, after outrage over the earlier Debel crucifix case.

ynetnews said the IDF confirmed the video was authentic and called the incident serious, and it reported that the soldier who smashed the statue and the soldier who filmed him were removed from combat roles and sentenced to 30 days in military prison.

Al Jazeera

In response to the Virgin Mary photo, the Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X that the IDF “views the incident with utmost severity” and that the soldier’s conduct “deviates from the values expected of its personnel.”

The Catholic Church also condemned the earlier video, and ynet quoted Frid Jubran, spokesman for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, saying that, as a Christian, the footage was “sad,” “outrageous” and “very upsetting.”

The Al Jazeera report linked the Debel Virgin Mary incident to other alleged actions in southern Lebanon, including that Israeli troops bulldozed solar panels in Debel that supply electricity needed for the town’s water system and destroyed homes, roads and olive trees.

“Israeli soldier seen desecrating Virgin Mary statue in southern Lebanon Israeli media says footage shows soldier ‘smoking a cigarette while placing another cigarette in the mouth of the Virgin Mary statue’ Zein Khalil 06 May 2026•Update: 06 May 2026 JERUSALEM Incident adds to multiple cases involving Christian sites and symbols linked to Israeli forces An Israeli soldier was seen desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon, according to footage circulating online”

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Middle East Eye said Israeli attacks on Christians included a Catholic charity condemnation after Israeli forces destroyed a convent belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters in Yaroun, and it quoted L'Oeuvre d'Orient saying it was “a deliberate attack on a place of worship.”

Middle East Eye also said Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire announced on 17 April to halt more than six weeks of its war on Lebanon, and it reported that over 2,600 people have been killed and more than 8,000 wounded since the conflict began on 2 March.

Al Jazeera added that concerns have grown over Israel’s treatment of Christians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, and it cited documented harassment and violence against Christian pilgrims, clergy and Palestinian Christian residents, including assaults and spitting—often by ultra-Orthodox Jewish yeshiva students.