Israel Punishes Soldiers for Desecrating Christian Statue

Two Israeli soldiers will spend weeks in military prison for desecration of a Christian object after one stuck a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon and the other photographed it. The photo of the soldier, a cigarette dangling from his own mouth, went viral and sparked widespread outrage. It was the latest act by Israeli forces to be denounced as anti-Christian in southern Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground invasion earlier this year to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, the AP reports. Israel's military said the soldier posing would get 21 days in military prison and the soldier who photographed it would get 14.

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," said spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazo. The photo circulated days after images of an Israeli soldier wielding an ax against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross in Debel, the same village in southern Lebanon, was roundly condemned by foreign leaders, Christian leaders, and Israeli politicians. The military sentenced soldiers who participated in the act to time in military prison.

• "Honestly, this issue really provoked us, especially after the apology regarding the cross," Father Fadi Felfeli, the head of Debel's congregation, tells the BBC. He says it shows there are people in the Israeli military "that lack ethics and values and are bigoted." Fedelfi says such actions "reflect extremism and intolerance that should not exist, especially toward a village that values peace and neutrality and is not involved in the war."

Israeli forces took control of southern Lebanon as part of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, which began on March 2 when the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired missiles over the border two days after the US and Israel launched their war with Iran. Israeli forces have remained despite a weekslong truce. Lebanese authorities say strikes have continued daily despite the ceasefire, with 120 people, including civilians, killed over the last week. Hezbollah has continued its attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, the BBC reports.