SOUTHERN LEBANON — Two Israeli soldiers were sentenced to military prison terms of 21 and 14 days for desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon. One soldier stuck a cigarette in the mouth of the statue while the other photographed the act, according to the military.

The soldier posing with the cigarette dangling from his mouth received the 21-day sentence, while the soldier who took the photograph was sentenced to 14 days. The photo circulated widely online.

"The military views the incident with great severity and respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities," Lt Col Ariella Mazor, a military spokesperson, said.

Days before the Virgin Mary incident, images appeared from the southern Lebanese village of Debel showing an Israeli soldier wielding an axe against a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross. The military sentenced soldiers who participated in hacking down the crucifix to time in military prison. Christians make up about a third of Lebanon's population of roughly 5.5 million people.

According to Action on Armed Violence, Israel had closed down or left unresolved 88% of cases of alleged misconduct in Gaza and the West Bank. In a recent case, charges were dropped against soldiers accused of sexually abusing a detainee from Gaza.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group, began on 2 March, when Hezbollah fired missiles over the border. The missiles were launched two days after the United States and Israel began their war against Iran. Israel subsequently launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces have remained in southern Lebanon despite a truce. Israel's military says it only targets buildings that Hezbollah uses as outposts.