The Israel Defense Forces are expected to carry out airstrikes against Lebanon on Sunday night targeting financial institutions linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Trey Yingst of Fox Information in Israel reports that the attacks will specifically target al-Qard al-Hassan “throughout Lebanon.” Al-Qard al-Hassan is a unit of Hezbollah to finance terrorist activities such as paying agents and purchasing weapons.
The registered nonprofit is sanctioned by both the United States and Saudi Arabia, provides financial services, and is also used by Lebanese civilians.
Workers clear a street under a giant portrait of late Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, 20 October 2024. . (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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The IDF issued evacuation orders for civilians near these financial institutions. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the attacks will be widespread and will target not only Beirut's financial centers but also other Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.
Smoke rises following a shell attack, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, near Shlomi, northern Israel, on October 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)
Fox Information is told the goal is to strike at the heart of Hezbollah's financial support for the conflict with Israel, which has continued since October 2023, the month Hamas militants stormed Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking hundreds more. as hostages.
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A senior intelligence official indicated early Sunday that not all of Hezbollah's money is being held in these financial institutions, but it is expected to inflict significant damage on the group's economic capabilities.
The official noted that there are hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians – mostly Shiites – who use this banking system, and that several branches in Beirut are expected to be attacked.
Hezbollah weapons cache located near a UNIFIL post by IDF troops in southern Lebanon. (IDF Spokesperson Unit).
A year of rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah over the war in Gaza escalated into an all-out war last month, and Israel sent ground troops to Lebanon earlier this month.
Israel's announcement came a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called civilian casualties in Lebanon “too high” in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and urged Israel to scale back some attacks, especially in Beirut and its surroundings.
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Iran supports Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, and the United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents indicating that Israel was moving military assets to a location for a military strike in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on 1 October, according to three US officials. . They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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