srael’s military has launched multiple strikes against “a large number of targets” belonging to al-Qard al-Hassan, said to be the financial arm of Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
Explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, with evacuation warnings in eastern Bekaa valley and parts of southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in the northern Gaza Strip into Sunday left at least 87 people dead or missing, the territory’s Health Ministry says.
Israel attacks Hezbollah’s banking group
Israel started bombing Lebanese branches of a group accused of helping to finance the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, Lebanese state media reported late Sunday.
The AP news agency cited a senior Israeli intelligence official saying the strikes would target al-Qard al-Hassan “all over Lebanon,” including a “large number of targets” in Beirut and elsewhere.
Explosions began in Beirut’s southern suburbs about an hour later. Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes surrounding al-Qard al-Hassan branches.
Al-Qard al-Hassan is used by ordinary Lebanese people but is also accused of helping finance Hezbollah, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany, and several Sunni Arab countries.
Al-Qard Al-Hassan is a financial firm offering micro-credit in Lebanon, where the traditional banking system collapsed five years ago at the start of an economic crisis. It is sanctioned by the US, which accuses Hezbollah of using it as a cover to mask the group’s financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.
Israel says it is used to pay operatives of the militant group and to help buy arms.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported 11 strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, many of them targeting Al-Qard Al-Hassan.
Other strikes targeted the association in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and the country’s south, the agency said.
A strike was also reported to have landed near Beirut’s airport, Lebanon’s main entry point for humanitarian assistance and a key evacuation hub for those fleeing the conflict.
Al-Qard al-Hassan said the decision to target it was a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assured customers it had taken “measures” to ensure their money was safe.
Scores dead after Beit Lahiya strike in northern Gaza
Israeli strikes in northern Gaza overnight into Sunday left at least 87 people dead or missing, according to the territory’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.
The strikes took place on the town of Beit Lahiya, which was among the first targets of Israel’s ground invasion nearly a year ago.
At least eight children were reported to be among the dead.
The Israeli military said it used precise munitions against a Hamas target as a large-scale operation continued against militants who were regrouping.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government said a drone targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house Saturday, with no casualties.
“The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake,” Netanyahu said.
In a call with US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would act based on its interests.
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday said Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas in Gaza has now killed at least 42,603 Palestinians.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but the UN and multiple humanitarian organizations consider the casualty numbers broadly reliable.
The ministry says more than half the dead are women and children.
The war was sparked by the unprecedented Hamas attack last year that resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 people in southern Israel.
