Israel Strikes Hezbollah-Linked Banks in Lebanon

Overnight offensive targets financial institutions in Beirut and across the country’s southern region.

AP/Hussein Malla
Flames and smoke rise form an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, October 20, 2024. AP/Hussein Malla

Israel launched a series of new air strikes into Lebanon on Monday, targeting banks in Beirut they say are linked to Hezbollah.

Explosions rocked the Dahieh district in the southern part of the capital city and the Bekaa Valley overnight, according to a report from BBC News. It was not immediately clear how injuries or casualities resulted from the barrage. A total of 15 buildings across the southern were targeted by the airstrikes.

“Beirut in flames,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X. “A wide-scale Israeli attack targeted Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure in Beirut and across Lebanon last night.”

“Hezbollah has paid and will continue to pay a heavy price for its attacks on northern Israel and its rocket fire. We will keep striking the Iranian proxy until it collapses.”

Officials with the Israel Defense Forces gave advance warning to Lebanese civilians before targeted strikes against various branches of Al-Qard Al-Hasan, a non-profit bank that offers interest-free loans to the Shia community and is alleged to also provide funding to the terrorist organization.

“[A]nyone located near sites used to fund Hezbollah’s terror activities must move away from these locations immediately,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari warned in statement. “We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night.”

“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,” he added.

Al-Qard Al-Hasan has 30 branches throughout Lebanon, including two in Beruit. Israel has accused the financial institution of funneling money from Iran and directing it towards Hezbollah, which then uses the money to buy and store weapons and provide paychecks to its militants. 

The bank has been alleged to be a cover-up for the terrorist organization by U.S. officials which has also held sanctions against the financial lender since 2007.


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