Photo shows Israeli soldier desecrating Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon

In a statement on X, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said that the IDF "views the incident with utmost severity" and recognises that the soldier's conduct "deviates from the values expected of its personnel."

He also claimed an initial inquiry had found that the photo was taken several weeks ago, though it only began circulating online on Wednesday, before stating that the IDF "respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities."

The photo was taken in the Maronite Christian-majority village of Debel, located a few kilometres from the Israeli border, and one of the few still-inhabited villages since Israel began its bombing campaign in southern Lebanon.

It's also the same village where just last month, international outrage swarmed after an Israeli soldier was pictured smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer. The IDF said it sentenced two soldiers to 30 days in jail for the incident, replaced the Jesus statue and was working to ensure it "never happens again".

This is the latest incident in a string of violence against Christians by the Israeli military. Last week, it was reported that the Israeli army razed the Sisters of the Holy Savior convent and school in Yaroun, south Lebanon. And last month, surveillance footage caught a Jewish Israeli man kicking and assaulting a 48-year-old nun in Jerusalem.

Vedika Bahl goes through what we know about this latest photo in Truth or Fake.