The Israeli army has been carrying out airstrikes in several regions of Lebanon since Sunday evening, starting at 9:30 p.m. These attacks extend from the southern suburbs of Beirut to the Bekaa and the south of the country, targeting the agencies of Al Qard Al Hassan, a financial company accused of financing Hezbollah.
“Al Qard Al Hassan is involved in financing Hezbollah’s terrorist operations,” Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesperson for the Arabic-speaking public, told X.
These strikes come following Israeli calls asking the population to evacuate the area around the agencies of this organization, which is under American sanctions.
A wave of panic then seized the inhabitants of these areas, who fled en masse after more than 30 evacuation orders published by the Israeli army.
Salvos of strikes
More than ten strikes targeted buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut before midnight, including in Chiyah, Choueifat, Ghobeiri, Haret Hreik, Hay el Selloum (near the airport), Hay el American and Bourj Al-Barajneh. Residents of the southern suburbs of Beirut had earlier received more than ten successive evacuation orders – a first – shared by Avichay Adraee, who called on them on his X account to move away “500 meters from these Hezbollah infrastructures .”
In the Bekaa, the branch of Hezbollah’s microcredit organization in Hermel was also struck, as well as in Ali al-Nahri, where an Al Qard Al Hassan branch is located on the first floor of a building. The latter did not collapse but was damaged, as were the neighboring buildings.
An Israeli drone strike targeted, according to ANI, a building formerly occupied by Al Qard Al Hassan in Baalbeck, in the city’s souks.
In South Lebanon, dozens of airstrikes also targeted branches of Al Qard Al Hassan in several localities, notably in Teir Debba and Houmine.
Unprecedented, this is the first time that the spokesperson for the Israeli army, Daniel Hagari, spoke in a video almost two hours earlier, announcing: “Tonight, we will strike several targets in Lebanon. We will target the branches of Hezbollah’s financial institution – Al Qard Al Hassan.”
The financial company “Al Qard Al Hassan is involved in financing Hezbollah’s terrorist operations,” Avichay Adraee also said on X.
Wind of panic and massive displacement of the population
At the same time, a significant movement of displacement was observed, particularly around ABC – Verdun in Beirut, following a map published by Adraee indicating a neighborhood in Choueifat, misleading the population.
A similar scenario was observed in several other localities in the country, including in Saida, where people were seen hastily fleeing from the vicinity of a site of this organization.
In the Bekaa, it was announced earlier that the Baalbeck government hospital had been evacuated. A denial from the Ministry of Health was later issued, stating that this was “false information.” However, the text specifies that some patients had been transferred to “safer” rooms than those facing a branch of Al Qard Al Hassan, and adds that the hospital “is operating normally.”
Security measures of the Lebanese army
As a “security measure”, Lebanese army intelligence established security perimeters at the entrance to several streets leading to other branches of Al Qard Al Hassan in Beirut.
Riad Al-Solh Street in Saida (South Lebanon) was also closed by the authorities in anticipation of any Israeli raid on the agency located there, according to MTV.
Meanwhile, outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on pan-Arab television Al-Arabiya that Hezbollah accepted the terms of Resolution 1701 and that the Lebanese army should advance its positions south of the Litani. “There is no other solution than diplomacy,” he added.
Communicate with Al Qard Al Hassan
For its part, Al Manar, Hezbollah’s TV channel, published what it presented as a press release from the financial association Al Qard Al Hassan, affirming that it had already taken measures to “protect citizens’ deposits ”.
“It is important to note that the foundation has taken all necessary measures since the start of the war,” she said. “These measures are sufficient to safeguard the deposits and confidence of citizens, protecting their livelihoods and the fruits of their labor,” the text continues.
Founded in 1983 and registered as a non-governmental organization since 1987, Al Qard Al Hassan collects non-interest-bearing deposits in accordance with the principles of Islamic finance, in dollars or pounds, and grants microcredits.
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