Israeli Military Investigating After Soldier’s Picture with Mary Statue Draws Outrage from Catholic Officials

In the second recent documented incident of an Israel Defense Forces soldier appearing to show contempt for Lebanon’s Christians, photos of a soldier putting a cigarette to the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary made a social media splash on Wednesday.

The photo was taken in the village of Debel, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The IDF said the incident took place several weeks ago, but the photo was uploaded to social media on Wednesday.

IDF soldier seen placing cigarette Virgin Mary statue’s mouth in Lebanese village https://t.co/BZmzaWr9LA

— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) May 6, 2026

Debel was the same village in which another IDF soldier was photographed taking a sledgehammer to a statue of Jesus on a cross, as noted by the BBC.

The IDF said it would investigate with “utmost severity” and that the incident “completely deviates from the values expected of its