One soldier put the cigarette to the statue’s mouth, whereas the opposite took a photograph.
An Israeli soldier held a cigarette to a Virgin Mary statue. (Picture: CNN)
Two Israeli troopers have been sentenced to weeks behind bars in a army jail after desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon. One soldier positioned a cigarette within the mouth of the statue, whereas the opposite captured the second on digital camera.
The picture, which confirmed the soldier with a cigarette hanging from his personal mouth, went viral and provoked widespread outrage throughout the globe. Israel’s army confirmed that the soldier posing within the {photograph} would obtain 21 days in army jail, whereas the soldier who took the picture would serve 14 days.
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Israel has been bombarding Lebanon. (Picture: Getty)
The army “views the incident with nice severity and respects freedom of faith and worship, in addition to holy websites and non secular symbols of all religions and communities”, spokesperson Ariella Mazor wrote on X.
This comes simply days after pictures of an Israeli soldier holding an axe to a toppled statue of Jesus on the cross within the southern Lebanese village of Debel drew widespread criticism from Christian leaders.
The army has since handed down jail sentences to the troopers concerned.
Israel invaded Lebanon earlier this yr amid the warfare in Iran, in what it calls a floor offensive in opposition to the Hezbollah militant group.
On April 8, shortly after the announcement of a ceasefire within the Iran warfare and Hezbollah signalling a pause in assaults in opposition to Israel, Israel launched what it described as its “strongest assaults” on Lebanon, killing at the least 357 folks.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the occasion as a “bloodbath”, and the federal government introduced a day of mourning and a public vacation.
In response, Iran threatened to assault Israel “if the aggressions in opposition to pricey Lebanon aren’t delivered to a right away finish”, with state media reporting that Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz as a response.
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