Israeli army: Two soldiers will spend weeks in military prison for desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary

A photo of a soldier with a cigarette sticking out of his own mouth went viral and sparked an avalanche of condemnation from all sides.

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An Israeli soldier puts a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, Photo: Reuters
An Israeli soldier puts a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Two Israeli soldiers will spend weeks in military prison for desecrating a Christian site in southern Lebanon, the Jewish state's military said today.

One of the soldiers put a cigarette in the mouth of the statue of the Virgin Mary. Another took a picture of it.

A photo of the soldier, who had a cigarette sticking out of his own mouth, went viral and sparked an avalanche of condemnation from all sides.

The Israeli army said the soldier who posed will receive 21 days in military prison, and the one who photographed him will receive 14 days.

This is another act that has led to Israeli soldiers being called out for anti-Christian behavior in southern Lebanon.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli troops launched a ground invasion this year to deal with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

The Israeli military "views this incident with great seriousness and respects freedom of religion and expression of faith, as well as the holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities," wrote Jewish army spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Ariela Mazor on IX.

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