The Israeli military conducted a wave of air strikes across Lebanon on Sunday, targeting branches of Al-Qard al-Hasan, a financial association associated with the militant group Hezbollah.
The organisation was placed under US sanctions in 2007 and has been accused by American, Israeli, Saudi Arabian and other officials of operating as Hezbollah’s de facto banking arm.Inside Lebanon, where Hezbollah also functions as a political organisation and provides a range of social services, Al-Qard al-Hasan is designated a non-governmental organisation and is viewed as a Hezbollah-affiliated charity.
It operates as a lender and financial services provider for civilians in many areas of Lebanon, where the traditional banking sector is in shambles. Many of its branches are situated on the ground floors of residential buildings. On social media on Sunday night, Avichay Adraee, the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military, warned residents to evacuate buildings near the infrastructure of Al-Qard al-Hasan around Beirut and across southern and eastern Lebanon.
The strikes marked an apparent escalation of Israel’s war against Hezbollah, with a senior Israel intelligence official saying the targeting of the banking system — rather than weapons depots or command and intelligence centers — was intended to disrupt Hezbollah’s day-to-day operations like paying salaries of Hezbollah’s operatives, undermine its support in Lebanese communities and hamper its ability to rebuild.
The financial organisation has about 30 branches across Lebanon, including in the Dahiya, a densely packed area adjoining Beirut where Hezbollah holds sway. Israel, the US and others say group “purports to serve the Lebanese people” but in practice “illicitly moves funds through shell accounts and facilitators”. “In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah’s terror activities by using civilian institutions, associations, and NGOs that act as fronts for terrorism,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, said in a statement.
Al-Qard al-Hasan said in a statement that Israel had exhausted “its bank of objectives and has chosen to threaten and target Al-Qard al-Hasan, the non-profit organization.” Lebanon is still reeling from a severe financial and economic crisis that began in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military apologised Monday for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon, saying it is not battling the country’s military and its troops believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah militant group.