A senior Israeli intelligence official says the strikes primarily targeted the Hezbollah-run banking system, al-Qard al-Hassan.
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Israel struck on Sunday several offices of the Lebanese banking company al-Qard-al-Hassan, which finances the militant group Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has issued evacuation warnings for 24 areas in Lebanon, including 14 in the country’s capital, Beirut, and several in the east of the country.
“In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran finances Hezbollah’s terrorist activities by using civilian institutions, associations and NGOs as cover for terrorist activities”says Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli army.
The al-Qard al-Hassan banking system, run by Hezbollah and sanctioned by the United States and Saudi Arabia, is used by hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens.
Al-Qard al-Hassan says in a statement that these strikes are a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assures its clients that it has taken steps to ensure the security of their funds.
A number of victims “far too high”
Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes following evacuation orders from the Israeli army and explosions were heard in the city shortly after.
Witnesses indicated that panicked crowds clogged the streets and caused traffic jams in parts of the city.
The new strikes on Beirut come a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon was “much too high”.
According to Lebanese health authorities, more than 1,700 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in recent weeks, around a quarter of them women and children.
Total war between Israel and Hezbollah
While cross-border shootings have been almost daily between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the war in Gaza, the war entered a new phase last month.
Israel has launched what it describes as““targeted” ground operation“ in Lebanon at the end of September; nearly 15,000 Israeli soldiers are currently deployed in the country.
At the same time, the Israeli army claims that Hezbollah fired more than 170 rockets into Israel on Sunday, with three people lightly injured in a fire caused by a strike on the city of Safedin the north of the country.
The Lebanese army remains on the sidelines of the conflict. A respected institution in Lebanon, it is not, however, powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or to defend the country against an Israeli invasion.
Iran is one of the main supporters of Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas.
