The Israel Foreign Ministry (IFM) has issued a statement after an incident that sparked outrage among Christians: an Israeli soldier was photographed placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary while smoking another himself in a Christian village in southern Lebanon.
The image, which was taken several weeks ago in the village of Debel and was later circulated widely on social media, shows the soldier in military gear next to the statue.
New photo alleges another case of IDF troops ‘desecrating’ Christian symbols in South Lebanon
— RT (@RT_com) May 6, 2026
Image reportedly from the town of Debel shows soldier mocking the Virgin Mary statue by placing a cigarette in its mouth pic.twitter.com/D3J3Cv7CB7
The photo was condemned by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, guardians for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on behalf of the Catholic Church.
"This is disrespectful and outrageous behaviour that must stop immediately," the Custodia Terrae Sanctae was quoted as saying by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "We call on the Israeli government and the IDF to act and send a clear message that such behaviour is unacceptable, must not happen again, and that the case be handled with the utmost seriousness."
Poland’s Foreign Ministry issued a similar statement May 7, expressing “strong concern” over the incident. Poland is a predominantly Catholic country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland expresses strong concern regarding another incident involving a soldier of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Lebanon, who showed disrespect toward the figure of the Virgin Mary. Such actions offend the religious… pic.twitter.com/XTkDMyZmwY
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) May 7, 2026
The same day, the IFM confirmed the photo’s authenticity and said it had launched an investigation, describing the soldier’s conduct as “completely” deviating “from the values expected of [the Israeli military’s] personnel.”
“The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” the IFM stated, vowing to take measures against any soldiers involved.
IDF Spokesperson's statement regarding the photo showing an IDF soldier with a statue of Mother Mary several weeks ago: @LTC_Shoshani: The IDF views the incident with utmost severity and emphasizes that the conduct of the soldier completely deviates from the values expected of…
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 7, 2026
The incident comes weeks after a similar scandal started in the same Christian village, where one uniformed Israeli soldier was photographed by others using a sledgehammer to smash a statue of Jesus on a crucifix that had been thrown to the ground.
>> Israeli soldier desecrates crucifix in southern Lebanese village <<
Observers are especially concerned because of increasing reports of mistreatment of Christians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where settler attacks and harassment have been documented, along with statements by Israeli officials that aspects of the current offensive in Lebanon are modeled after operations in Gaza.