The IDF has condemned the incident of a soldier desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has condemned the actions of a soldier who attached a cigarette to a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon. This was reported on May 6 by the IDF press service.

"The IDF regards this incident as extremely serious and emphasizes that the soldier's behavior is completely contrary to the values expected of personnel," the press service quoted TASS as saying.

The IDF clarified that a preliminary check allowed to establish the date of the incident. The picture of the soldier was taken a few weeks ago. It is specified that the incident will be investigated, and appropriate measures will be taken against the soldier.

The Israeli forces, as noted in the press service, are operating in southern Lebanon in order to eliminate the infrastructure of the Hezbollah movement. The IDF added that the army has no intention of damaging civilian objects, including religious buildings and symbols.

The location of the breakdown: Hezbollah threatened to expand the conflict with Israel

Meanwhile, the United States is studying a three-step settlement plan proposed by Iran.

On April 19, the Lebanese information portal Lebanon Debate reported that the Israeli military had smashed a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon. The IDF confirmed the authenticity of the photo and stated that an investigation was underway into the incident. According to her, such actions "do not comply with the principles" of the Israeli army.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in turn, called the shameful act of the Israeli military, who smashed the statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon. He also demanded that strict measures be taken against the perpetrators and apologized to Christians on behalf of the state for this incident.