The strikes mark an expansion of Israel’s nearly month-long war with Hezbollah, as it seeks to degrade the group’s ability to fund operations
Destroyed buildings can be seen at Beirut’s southern suburbs following the Israeli airstrike that targeted a branch of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan finance group in the southern city of Tyre on Monday.
IBRAHIM AMRO / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Israel conducted air strikes hitting a Lebanese association linked to Hezbollah, accusing it on Monday of financing the group’s weapons, as it expanded the scope of its raids beyond military targets.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes hit Al-Qard Al-Hassan branches in the cities of Nabatiyeh and Tyre overnight, according to the official National News Agency.
On Monday, the Israeli military said it had conducted a series of strikes against “dozens of facilities and sites” used by Hezbollah in Beirut and southern Lebanon, including on branches of the financial institution.
The strikes mark an expansion of Israel’s nearly month-long war with Hezbollah, as it seeks to degrade the group’s ability to fund operations.
Israel accuses Al-Qard Al-Hassan of funding “Hezbollah’s terror activities,” including the purchase of weapons and payments to militants.
Hezbollah built its loyal support base in Shiite Muslim areas of Lebanon by providing protection, health, education and financial services in a state long wracked by sectarianism and corruption.
Al-Qard Al-Hassan is a Hezbollah-linked financial firm offering micro-credit in a country where the traditional banking system collapsed five years ago at the start of a crushing economic crisis.
It is sanctioned by the United States, which accuses Hezbollah of using it as a cover to mask the group’s financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.
On Sunday, 11 strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, NNA reported, many of them targeting Al-Qard Al-Hassan. At the site of a flattened building housing a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan in south Beirut, AFP photographers saw a pile of concrete and mangled metal.
Just a month ago, south Beirut’s bustling streets were packed with traffic, families strolling about and youths in cafes. Now silence dominates the abandoned Hezbollah bastion.
Other strikes hit Al-Qard al-Hassan branches in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and in the country’s south.
The NNA also reported a strike near Beirut’s airport, the main entry-point of humanitarian assistance to the country and a major evacuation hub for those fleeing the conflict.
According to the Israeli military, dozens of projectiles were launched across the border Monday morning.
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