Israeli airstrikes hit three branches of a financial institution linked to Hezbollah in Beirut on Sunday night, one of which was located near the international airport of Lebanon’s capital.
The strikes targeted branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan in the areas of Hay Al-Sellom, Burj Al-Barajneh, and Ghobeiry in southern Beirut, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
The Israeli Air Force also targeted “an Al-Qard al-Hassan subsidiary” in the Hermel area of eastern Lebanon, according to ANI. These financial facilities are used by Hezbollah to pay its agents and assist in purchasing weapons, according to the Israelis. The United States sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, stating it was used by Hezbollah “as a front to manage the terrorist organization’s financial activities and to access the international financial system.”
Several of the Airstrikes tonight against Southern Beirut, are only Meters away from Rafic Hariri International Airport. pic.twitter.com/0Vp5pntBNl
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 20, 2024
Al-Qard Al-Hassan was founded in 1983 and is a non-profit financial institution connected to Hezbollah, providing interest-free loans based on Islamic lending principles to the Shiite community.
Initial warnings concerned southern Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley, but according to a senior Israeli intelligence official, strikes were likely to occur “throughout Lebanon.” One of these took place near Beirut’s Rafic Al Hariri International Airport, where commercial flights continue to operate.
Images released by Israeli forces show a building collapsing after being hit by an Israeli strike. The same building had been marked as a target by the IDF hours earlier.
Another #Iran-affiliated Bank in #Beirut is gone.
— Mondalˢ 🆇 (@MondalOrg) October 21, 2024
It is forbidden to take usury in #Islam, #Israel is helping #Lebanon to purify #Islam. pic.twitter.com/BWNreIw0BA
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari had earlier warned civilians, stating, “Anyone near locations used to fund Hezbollah’s terrorist activities should stay away.”
Strike on Hezbollah Intelligence Offices – Three Commanders Killed
This occurred just hours after Israel claimed to have struck Hezbollah’s intelligence offices in Beirut.
“The IAF (Israeli Air Force) conducted an intelligence-based strike on a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters and an underground weapons lab in Beirut,” the IDF said earlier on Sunday.
“In addition, the IAF… struck and neutralized the terrorist Al-Haj Abbas Salama in the Tebnine area, a senior commander on Hezbollah’s southern front, as well as terrorists Rada Abbas Awada and Ahmad Ali Hussein.”
IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 20, 2024
In the past 24 hours, dozens of projectiles have been fired at northern Israel. In the next minutes, we will issue an advance evacuation warning to residents of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon to evacuate locations being used to… pic.twitter.com/hjVAhdDwRz
The IDF claimed that it took “numerous measures” to “mitigate the risk of civilian casualties” in both cases.
In response, approximately 200 rockets were launched from Lebanon’s border toward northern Israel during the course of Sunday, the Israeli military added.
Israel: We Are Ready to Move to the Next Stage of War
Israel appears determined to escalate, having devised a retaliation plan against Hezbollah following a drone attack targeting the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In his statements after the attack, the Israeli prime minister referred to an assassination attempt against him and promised an immediate punitive response to Iran’s allies.
Israel’s security council convened to discuss a response to Tehran, but just before, the country’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said during a briefing on the northern border:
“We are moving from a situation of defeating the enemy to a situation of destruction, blowing up tunnels, ammunition depots, and dismantling Hezbollah.”
“We are getting closer and closer to completing the mission, although there is still much to be done. The IDF is preparing for further actions, but first and foremost, they are executing this operation correctly,” the defense minister added.
IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 20, 2024
In the past 24 hours, dozens of projectiles have been fired at northern Israel. In the next minutes, we will issue an advance evacuation warning to residents of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon to evacuate locations being used to… pic.twitter.com/hjVAhdDwRz
Strikes Between Israel and Lebanon Continue
בגבול הצפון, יחד עם לוחמי אוגדה 98, חיילי צה״ל משמידים את יכולותיו של חיזבאללה, כשלנגד עיניהם עומדת המשימה ובגבם נמצאים יישובי הצפון.
— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) October 20, 2024
היעד ברור – פירוק יכולותיו של חיזבאללה בגבול הצפון, כדי להשיב את התושבים לבתיהם בביטחון. pic.twitter.com/kgCAAhICs7
The tense atmosphere between Israel and Lebanon remains, with heavy strikes continuing. Lebanon’s ANI news agency reported that the Israeli military, conducting raids against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, blew up several houses in three villages near the Israeli border.
The Israeli military “is conducting large-scale operations to blow up houses” in the border communities of Adaiseh, Marjayoun, and Rab Talatin, according to ANI, following intense airstrikes that targeted dozens of villages in southern Lebanon.
Germany’s DPA news agency, citing local security sources, reported that the Israeli army has almost completely destroyed villages in southern Lebanon, leveling homes and mosques.
The Lebanese city of Ramiya, near Bint Jbeil in the border region, was among the locations blown up, according to Lebanese security sources cited by DPA. There is no official confirmation of this information yet.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced that it launched rockets at three military bases in northern Israel following dozens of Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese territory.
These “rocket barrages” targeted three military “bases,” including an “anti-aircraft defense” facility, in northern Israel near the cities of Haifa and Safed and west of the Sea of Galilee, according to statements by the pro-Iranian organization.
