IDF Soldier Puts Cigarette in Virgin Mary Statue Where Jesus Statue Was Smashed Weeks Prior

An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldier was photographed placing a cigarette into the mouth of a Virgin Mary statue in Debel, a Christian village in southern Lebanon that has now been the site of three documented incidents of Israeli troops showing contempt for civilian and religious property in less than a month.

Third Incident in the Same Village

The photograph surfaced online on 6 May, though the IDF said an initial inquiry found it was taken several weeks earlier. The image shows the soldier smoking while holding another cigarette up to the statue's mouth.

Debel, a Maronite Christian village roughly 5 kilometres (3.2 miles) from the Israeli border, was also where a soldier smashed a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer on 19 April, drawing condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Christian leaders worldwide. That soldier and a second soldier who filmed the act were removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in military prison. Six other soldiers who failed to stop or report the act were summoned for disciplinary discussions.

Days later, footage aired by Lebanese media showed military excavators destroying solar panels in the same village. Those panels provided electricity to homes and powered the local water supply for hundreds of residents who had remained in the village with Israel's permission. That incident remains under investigation.

IDF Says It Will Discipline the Soldier

IDF spokesperson Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said the military 'views the incident with utmost severity and emphasises that the conduct of the soldier completely deviates from the values expected of its personnel.' He confirmed that 'command measures' would follow the investigation.

The IDF also said it 'respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.' But the repeated nature of the incidents in Debel raises questions about whether those stated values are reaching troops on the ground.

Christian Leaders Condemn the Pattern

Father Fadi Felfeli, the head of Debel's congregation, told the BBC the incident 'really provoked us, especially after the apology regarding the cross.' He confirmed the Virgin Mary statue was not physically damaged but called the soldier's behaviour 'unethical.'

'They reflect extremism and intolerance that should not exist, especially toward a village that values peace and neutrality and is not involved in the war,' Father Felfeli said.

The Custodia Terrae Sanctae, the Roman Catholic Church's representative in the Holy Land, called the act 'disrespectful and outrageous behaviour.' It urged the Israeli government and the IDF to 'send a clear message that such behaviour is unacceptable.'

Ceasefire Fraying as Tensions Build

The incidents come during active fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel launched operations in southern Lebanon on 2 March after Hezbollah resumed attacks following the broader US-Israeli conflict with Iran. A ceasefire took effect on 17 April but has since eroded, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Israeli strikes have continued daily in southern Lebanon, with more than 120 people killed in the past week alone, according to the Lebanese health ministry. More than 2,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began on 2 March.

Debel is one of several Christian villages that Israel chose not to evacuate, a distinction that makes the repeated troop misconduct there especially damaging to Israel's diplomatic standing with Christian-majority nations. After the Jesus statue was destroyed, Italy's UNIFIL contingent donated a replacement crucifix, and Jewish leaders from Israel and the US signed a letter calling the act 'a desecration of God's name.'

The pattern of behaviour in a single small village now threatens to overshadow Israel's claims that its military operations target only Hezbollah infrastructure and not Lebanese civilians or their religious sites.