Israeli soldier seen desecrating Virgin Mary statue in southern Lebanon

An Israeli soldier was seen desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon, according to footage circulating online.

According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, on Wednesday, the footage --believed to have been filmed and posted online by soldiers -- shows an Israeli soldier "smoking a cigarette while placing another cigarette in the mouth of the Virgin Mary statue."

The broadcaster said the military confirmed that "the matter is under review."

The incident comes amid a series of reported attacks and violations involving Christian religious symbols and sites in Christian-majority towns occupied by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, drawing criticism of Israel in Christian communities worldwide.

Among the latest cases was an Israeli soldier destroying a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon and Israeli police preventing the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem during April holidays and imposing restrictions on Christian participation in Easter celebrations.

Multiple incidents of Israeli occupiers spitting on churches and clergy in Jerusalem have also been documented, along with attacks on churches in Gaza during the war that began in October 2023.