Israeli soldier desecrates statue of Virgin Mary in Lebanon
An Israeli soldier’s act of sacrilege against a statue of the Virgin Mary. Photo: Roya News
A photograph has circulated on social media showing an Israeli soldier placing a lit cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary, Al Jazeera reports. The image shows the soldier mocking the sacred figure while posing beside the desecrated statue.
Israeli army representatives said they “take the incident seriously” and have opened an official investigation. According to preliminary reports, the photo was taken several weeks ago in the predominantly Christian village of Debel, but only recently appeared online.
The incident is part of a broader series of attacks on religious sites in the region. A month earlier, also in Debel, another Israeli soldier smashed a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer.
Lebanese media also report systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure in the village: soldiers disabled solar panels that powered the water supply system and destroyed homes, roads, and centuries-old olive trees.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that vandals desecrated a statue of the Mother of God in Ukraine’s Lviv region.
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