Israeli Air Force jets launched a series of overnight and early morning strikes in Lebanon, targeting dozens of Hezbollah command posts and locations where funds used for terror operations were stored. These funds were funneled through Hezbollah's financial arm, the Al-Qard al-Hassan Association, according to the military. The strikes, which began Sunday night, are expected to continue throughout Monday.
The Lebanese outlet Al-Jadeed reported that Israeli strikes hit western Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, while Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen claimed three people were killed in a drone strike on a residential building in Baalbek. Additional strikes were reported in areas including Baddnayel and southern Lebanon.
The destruction at a Al-Qard al-Hassan Association branch
Hezbollah vowed that depositors with Al-Qard Al-Hassan would not lose any money despite the Israeli strikes. Rocket fire from Lebanon also persisted, with sirens sounding in the towns of Carmiel and the Ma'alot area in Israel's Western Galilee.
In his statement, the IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari warned civilians to avoid Hezbollah-affiliated sites. “Anyone near locations used to fund Hezbollah’s terror operations should distance themselves immediately,”he said shortly before stikes on the Dahieh began.
According to Saudi-based Al-Hadath, there was a noticeable movement of people fleeing the area following the Israeli warning. Sky News Arabia reported that a hospital in Baalbek was evacuated due to its proximity to an Al-Qard Al-Hassan facility.
The IDF was escalating airstrikes against Hezbollah's financial networks, particularly in Dahieh, aiming to disrupt the terror group’s cash flow. According to the IDF, Hezbollah uses millions of dollars funneled from Iran to pay its members and purchase weapons. The cash, often converted from Iranian rials to U.S. dollars in Syria, enters Lebanon in suitcases, with as much as $1 billion circulating each year.
The IDF said that Hezbollah has become Lebanon’s wealthiest employer amidst the country's ongoing economic crisis. The average Hezbollah operative earns around $500 a month, and the group operates 31 branches of its financial institution, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which holds assets in cash and gold across Lebanon. The IDF indicated that Hezbollah’s financial power structure is also a prime target of the strikes.
“This will shake Hezbollah’s financial foundation, making it harder for the group to maintain stability for its members and workers,” the IDF said. “Hezbollah has embedded its financial operations within schools and clinics, but many of these buildings will be destroyed as part of our broader strategy to cripple the organization.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: