Israel has carried out airstrikes on Lebanese financial institutions linked to Hezbollah as it expands its attacks on Lebanon.
Lebanese state news agency reported on Monday that Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on al-Qart al-Hassan branches in the cities of Nabatiyeh and Tire. The financial company has more than 30 branches across Lebanon.
There was no immediate comment from al-Qaad al-Hassan, Hezbollah or the Lebanese government.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a series of attacks against “dozens of facilities and locations” used by Hezbollah in Beirut and southern Lebanon, including branches of financial institutions.
Debris, shattered glass and scattered documents littered the ground outside the badly damaged Alucard Alhassan branch in Tire.
The airstrike marks a nearly month-long escalation between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Avichai Adlai, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, said the attack was aimed at “diverting funds from Hezbollah’s military wing, including al-Qad al-Hassan, which is used to finance weapons purchases and pay fighters.” He said they targeted locations “used for storage.”
He said Hezbollah had kept hundreds of millions of dollars in its affiliates without providing evidence, and the strike was aimed at stopping the group from rearming.
Hezbollah has built a loyal support base in Lebanon’s regions, providing protection, health care, education, and financial services to a country long ravaged by sectarianism and corruption.
Alucard Alhassan provides microcredit in a country whose traditional banking system collapsed five years ago at the start of a devastating economic crisis.
It has been sanctioned by the United States, which accuses Hezbollah of using it as a front to hide the group’s financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.
Lebanon’s NNA reported that 11 airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, many targeting al-Qart al-Hassan. Other strikes hit branches in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and in southern Lebanon.
NNA also reported a strike near Beirut’s international airport, which is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into the country and a major evacuation center for people fleeing conflict.
‘Very heavy’ shelling
The Israeli military said dozens of projectiles were fired across the border on Monday morning.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the military on Sunday that the military was stepping up attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, destroying sites that Hezbollah “planned to use as launching pads for attacks against Israel.” .
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced on Monday that an Israeli air raid on the eastern city of Baalbek hit a building in a densely populated residential area, killing six people, including one child.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from the town of Hasbaiyah in southern Lebanon, said shelling in the area was “very heavy”.
Mr. Khan reported eight Israeli airstrikes along the southern Lebanese border area, including the neighboring Nabatiyeh governorate.
He said there was a “barrage of Hezbollah rockets” in northern Israel early Monday.
“Hezbollah fighters say they shot down a state-of-the-art Hermes 900 drone. They also attacked Israeli forces in Maroun al-Ras,” Khan said.
Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on October 30 and continues its deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The conflict has put the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a UN peacekeeping force, on the front lines, with Blue Helmets accusing Israel of attacking its members multiple times in recent weeks.
UNIFIL said Israeli forces “deliberately” damaged one of its positions on Sunday, the latest in a series of incidents reported by the force that have sparked international condemnation.
U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to Lebanon on Monday to meet with the country’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is pushing for a ceasefire, and Navi Berri, speaker of the Hezbollah alliance, who is negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah.
The visit comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to renew efforts toward a ceasefire when he heads to the Middle East on Monday, the U.S. State Department said.
The State Department said in a statement that Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the war in Gaza, how to develop a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave, and how to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah diplomatically. . .
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also said in Beirut that the Arab League’s priority is to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. He called on Israel to immediately withdraw from occupied or invaded Lebanese territory.
Abul Gheit was also asked if Hezbollah could be destroyed, to which he replied: “You cannot destroy ideas.”
Lebanese health officials say more than 2,400 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in an act of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip last October. Israel’s attack on Lebanon has also forced more than 1.2 million people from their homes.
