IDF Investigates Incident of Soldier Defacing Virgin Mary Statue in Lebanon

Poland accused the IDF soldier of ‘insulting religious feelings,’ after a picture emerged showing a soldier putting a cigarette to the lips of the statue.

Israeli soldiers take a position along the Israel-Lebanon border on March 7, 2026. Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it is investigating an incident of a soldier defacing a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon, after a photograph emerged of a soldier putting a cigarette to the statue’s mouth.

IDF international spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Ariella Mazor wrote in a May 6 post on X that the Israeli military “views the incident with utmost severity and emphasizes that the conduct of the soldier completely deviates from the values expected of its personnel.”