Female Israeli soldiers punished for racy photos

The Israeli military said Sunday that it has disciplined a group of female soldiers who posed for photos in underwear and combat gear and posted the images on Facebook.

The incident was the latest in a string of episodes involving young Israeli soldiers on social media that have drawn reprimand from the military.

Israeli news site Walla said the women were new recruits stationed on a base in southern Israel. One picture showed the soldiers removing their fatigue uniforms to expose their underwear and back sides. In another, five women posed in what appeared to be a barracks room, dressed only in helmets and a small amount of combat equipment. The faces of the soldiers were blurred in the photos, Associated Press reported.

In a statement, the military said the young women had acted in a manner that showed "unbecoming behavior" for Israeli soldiers. "The commanding officers disciplined the soldiers as they saw fitting," it said.

The statement did not identify the soldiers or give any details about the punishments. Military officials said the base conducted educational lectures to keep soldiers from repeating the offense.