BEIRUT — The Israeli army said Wednesday it has launched an investigation after a photo showing an Israeli soldier desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary, reportedly in a village in southern Lebanon. The widely shared image shows a soldier placing a lit cigarette at the statue’s mouth. Online reports suggest the photo may have been taken in the Christian village of Dibil (Bint Jbeil district), though local authorities were not immediately available to confirm this.

“The Israeli army takes this incident very seriously and stresses that the soldier’s behavior is completely contrary to the values expected of its personnel,” said Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, international spokesperson for the Israeli army, on X on Wednesday.

He added that “After an initial review, it appears that the photo in question was taken several weeks ago. An investigation will be conducted and disciplinary measures will be taken against the soldier, depending on the findings of this investigation. The Israeli army respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as the holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities. The Israeli army conducts operations to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in south Lebanon and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings and religious symbols.”

This is not the first time Israeli soldiers have targeted religious symbols in south Lebanon. In April, the Israeli army acknowledged that one of its soldiers had vandalized a statue of Jesus on the cross in Dibil, after images widely shared on social media showed a soldier striking the statue’s head with a sledgehammer, detaching it from the cross.

Several villages in southern Lebanon have become largely inaccessible to civilians since Israel declared a “yellow line” last month. Dibil remains among the few still inhabited, with residents regularly denying the presence of Israeli troops inside the village, although surrounding areas continue to face repeated destruction.