Israel Targets Hezbollah’s Financial Network in Renewed Lebanon Strikes
By The Media Line Staff
Israel intensified its military campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in northern Gaza, launching multiple airstrikes on positions held by Hezbollah and renewing operations against Hamas.
On Sunday, Israel announced plans to target Al-Qard Al-Hasan (AQAH) sites in Lebanon, issuing evacuation warnings for southern Beirut, the Beqaa Valley, and areas near the Israeli border.
AQAH, a nominally independent nonprofit, is widely believed to be a key part of Hezbollah’s financial network and is sanctioned by both the US and Saudi Arabia.
Later on Sunday, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported at least 11 airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, including one near Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, the country’s only commercial airport.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent on the scene reported seeing planes flying through heavy smoke.
The NNA also reported that additional strikes targeted AQAH locations in the eastern villages of Hermel, Riyaq, and Baalbek.
According to an Israeli intelligence official, the strikes aimed to cripple AQAH’s cash-based infrastructure, hindering Hezbollah’s ability to finance operations and purchase weapons.
Illicit financing expert David Asher, a former high-ranking official in the US Defense Department and State Department, said, “AQAH is a cash-based organization. The cash will be trash” if Israel’s attacks are successful.
While AQAH operates as a quasi-bank offering services to nonaffiliated Lebanese citizens, particularly in the Shiite community, Israel argues that its charitable work primarily serves to enrich Hezbollah’s supporters.
AQAH assured customers on Sunday that measures were in place to secure their funds, dismissing the strikes as proof of Israel’s “bankruptcy.”
Meanwhile, Israel continued efforts to eliminate Hamas elements in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported at least 87 people dead or missing and another 40 injured in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
International organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, urged Israel to stop attacks near hospitals, citing reports of strikes on two facilities over the weekend. Israel’s military acknowledged operations near one hospital but denied targeting medical centers directly.
The IDF announced Sunday the death of Col. Ahsan Daksa, commander of the 401st Brigade and one of the highest-ranking Israeli officers killed in the conflict. IDF spokesperson Adam Hagari confirmed that Daksa, a prominent Druze community member, was killed by an explosive while assessing the battlefield near Jabalia.
Senior Biden Administration officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have urged Israel to reduce civilian casualties in Lebanon and Gaza. Austin stated that he “would like to see Israel scale back some of the strikes, especially in and around Beirut,” as the injury toll is “far too high.”
Last week, Austin and Blinken warned they might withhold US military aid if the amount of humanitarian aid entering northern Gaza did not significantly increase.
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