Israel says it is investigating photo of soldier holding up cigarette to Virgin Mary statue
A picture of a statue of the Virgin Mary appearing to show a man in uniform holding a lit cigarette to its mouth is being investigated by the Israeli military.
The image, which circulated on social media, appeared to depict a statue of the Virgin Mary in Debel.
It was the same town where Israeli soldiers were photographed destroying a crucifix last month.
A soldier smokes and pushes another cigarette onto the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in Debel, Lebanon, in this pictur (Reuters)
The man in the picture, who appears to be wearing an Israeli military uniform, makes it seem as though the statue is smoking.The IDF said it is reviewing the image and “views the incident with the utmost severity.”
It added that the picture was taken “several weeks ago”.
“The incident will be investigated, and command measures will be taken against the soldier in accordance with the findings,” the military said in a statement.
“The IDF respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities.”
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:46
In pictures: Damage in Beirut after Israeli strike
Israel struck Beirut for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month, with Israel saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs.
Israeli media reported that the commander was killed in the strike, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military or Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli airstrike killed four people, including two women and an elderly man in the town of Zelaya in southern Lebanon.
People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs neighbourhood of Haret Hreik (AFP/Getty)
An Israeli strike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa valley killed four people (AFP/Getty)
People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs Haret Hreik neighborhood (AFP/Getty)
Israeli airstrike targeted a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs neighbourhood of Haret Hreik (AFP/Getty)
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:30
Rubio to meet Pope Leo as Trump keeps up attacks on pontiff
US secretary of state Marco Rubio will meet Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday, in a potentially fraught encounter as president Donald Trump has issued a series of disparaging remarks against the leader of the Catholic Church over the Iran war.
Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, was due to arrive at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace around 11.15am for the visit, the first between the Pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year.
The closed-door meeting is expected to last about half an hour, after which Rubio will also meet the Vatican’s top diplomat, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Leo, the first American pope, drew Trump’s ire after criticising the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:26
Oil prices fall sharply towards $100 on hopes of Iran deal
Oil prices fell sharply and Asian stock markets surged to record highs as hopes grew that the US and Iran were nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though optimism was tempered by continuing military tensions in the waterway.
Brent crude fell 7.8 per cent to $101.27 a barrel on Wednesday – down from more than $115 earlier in the week – after US president Donald Trump said the strait could be “open to all” if Iran accepted a reported agreement, the details of which he did not disclose.
Axios reported the US believed it was close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war, citing four sources, which would declare an end to hostilities and begin a 30-day period of negotiations on reopening the strait, limiting Iran’s nuclear programme and lifting US sanctions.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the US proposal was still being considered.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 06:15
Iran to respond to US peace proposal Thursday: report
Iran is expected to respond to a US proposal to end the war on Thursday, CNN has reported.
The report cited a regional source after Iran said it was reviewing the proposal.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 05:50
Uncertainity and confusion within Iran amid talks for end to war
Scepticism has emerged from within Iran’s political establishment after Tehran said it was considering a US peace proposal.
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee, dismissed the proposal as “more of an American wish-list than a reality”.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also appeared to ridicule reports suggesting a breakthrough was imminent.
Writing in English on social media, he said “Operation Trust Me Bro failed”, arguing that reports of progress amounted to American spin after Washington failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that an agreement to end the war – now in its 69th day after beginning on 28 February – is within reach, though negotiations have repeatedly stalled over several contentious issues.
Chief among them are Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that handled roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies before the conflict erupted.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 05:40
Four Israeli soldiers injured in Lebanon
Four Israeli soldiers were injured in an explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military, which blamed the incident on Hezbollah.
One soldier sustained serious injuries, while three others were lightly wounded.
The troops were evacuated to hospital for medical treatment and their families have been informed.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 05:05
Israel launches first strikes on Beirut in three weeks
The Israeli military carried out a strike on Wednesday on the southern suburbs of Beirut in a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, saying it targeted the commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force, according to an official Israeli statement.
The strike was the first to hit Beirut’s suburbs since the 16 April ceasefire, although hostilities in the south of Lebanon have not halted.
“Radwan operatives, led by this commander, were responsible for firing at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers,” a joint statement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Israel Katz said.
First responders gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood (AFP/Getty)
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 04:46
Iran reviewing US proposal to end war even as key demands remain unaddressed
Iran said on Wednesday it was reviewing a new US peace proposal that sources claimed could formally end the war, though major disagreements remain over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, quoted by ISNA news agency, said Tehran would soon convey its response to the proposal.
“The American proposal is still being reviewed by Iran and after concluding, it will inform the Pakistani side of its opinion,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei said.
Sources familiar with mediation efforts, including a Pakistani official, said negotiators were close to finalising a one-page memorandum that could formally end the conflict.
The proposed framework would reportedly pave the way for talks on reopening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, easing US sanctions on Iran and setting limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
However, it remains unclear how the latest proposal differs from a 14-point plan Iran reportedly submitted last week, and Tehran has yet to formally accept the new terms.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 04:36
Trump says US-Iran deal very possible after good talks in past 24 hours
After the US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the military operation in Iran was over after achieving its objectives, US president Donald Trump said Iran was ready for a deal.
“They [Iran] want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal up there,” Trump said, adding: “I think we won.”
Trump also repeated his claim that Iran had agreed to never obtain a nuclear weapon “among other things”, though Tehran has not publicly confirmed the assertion.
Iran’s nuclear programme remains one of the central sticking points in negotiations between the two sides.
Shweta Sharma7 May 2026 04:28