Israel army investigating after soldier seen desecrating Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon

The Israeli military said Thursday it would investigate after a soldier was photographed placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon.

An image appearing to show an Israeli soldier with his arm around the revered Christian figure and holding a cigarette up to her mouth was widely shared on social media on Wednesday.

When asked for its response to the image, the Israeli military said it "views the incident with utmost severity and emphasises that the conduct of the soldier completely deviates from the values expected of its personnel."

"The incident will be investigated, and command measures will be taken against the soldier in accordance with the findings," it added.

It said that an initial review showed the image was taken several weeks ago.

It is not the first time the Israeli military has come under fire in recent weeks over soldiers' conduct surrounding Christian statues in southern Lebanon.

In late April, the military said two soldiers would receive 30 days of military detention and be removed from combat duty over the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ in the south Lebanese village of Debl.

In that incident, a photo was shared online showing an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off a cross.

The Israeli military said on Thursday it "respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities".

It added that it had "no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols."