IDF soldier puts cigarette in Virgin Mary statue's mouth
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 6
IDF soldier puts cigarette in Virgin Mary statue's mouth
7 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 6
Photos from Debel in southern Lebanon surfaced on Wednesday after soldiers posted them online; the IDF said it is investigating and later said the incident happened weeks ago.
The images deepened anger among Lebanese Christians, coming after April footage showed another soldier smashing a Jesus statue in the same village.
That soldier and the cameraman were jailed for 30 days and removed from combat duty, while a separate video later showed Israeli troops destroying civilian solar panels near Debel.
Are IDF soldiers' acts of desecration isolated incidents or a sign of a deeper institutional problem?
With their homes and holy sites destroyed, what future is left for Christians in southern Lebanon?
Is Israel's destruction in Lebanon a war tactic or a strategy to create a depopulated buffer zone?