JAKARTA - Israel is investigating a soldier in southern Lebanon and has promised to take firm action, considering it a serious violation.
An Israeli soldier is seen putting a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, in a photo shared online on Wednesday.
After identifying the soldier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the soldier would be subject to disciplinary sanctions.
The IDF said it "views this incident seriously, stressing that the soldier's behavior completely deviates from the values expected of his troops," quoted from The Times of Israel (7/5).
An initial investigation by the IDF found the photo was taken in Debel Village a few weeks ago, although it was only shared online on Wednesday.
The incident adds to a list of other incidents where video footage of Israeli soldiers - often by the troops themselves - damages or ransacks property.
Previously, the Israeli army also acted in Debel on two separate occasions. First, an Israeli soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus last month. Second, a soldier was seen in a video recording showing a military excavator damaging a solar panel.
Two soldiers involved in the destruction of the statue have been withdrawn from combat duty and punished, while the incident with the solar panels is still under investigation.
Debel, like several other Christian communities in southern Lebanon, has not been ordered by Israel to evacuate amid the fighting against Hezbollah.
"The incident will be investigated, and command action against the soldier will be taken according to the findings," the IDF said.
The military said it "respects the freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities" and "has no intention of damaging civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols."
Although Israel has repeatedly stressed that it values its relationship with the Christian world, the past few months have been marked by a series of embarrassing scandals and attacks on Christians that have worsened Israel's relations with the Christian community, as well as highlighting the ambiguity of existing policies.
These incidents come as Israeli forces step up their offensive against Lebanon, including its capital, Beirut, with their claims of attacking Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported.
Israeli forces also continue to occupy most of southern Lebanon and destroy all villages in the area.
Israel's decision to discipline the soldier involved in the Debel incident stands out given how rarely military investigations find fault with the conduct of its forces. No Israeli soldier has been charged with killing a Palestinian in the past decade.
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