Overview
- Haaretz published a photo that shows an Israeli soldier placing a cigarette in a Virgin Mary statue in a Lebanese village near the border.
- The Israel Defense Forces said the image was taken weeks earlier and announced a formal investigation.
- The military called the behavior completely inconsistent with the values it expects from its soldiers.
- The report follows an April case in Debel where a Jesus statue was smashed, two soldiers were detained, and UN peacekeepers from Italy installed a new crucifix.
- Such incidents risk inflaming Christian communities and could strain fragile calm in an area monitored by UN peacekeepers and contested by Hezbollah.