Israel bombs Hezbollah-linked finance group in Lebanon

Israel has conducted air strikes, hitting a Lebanese association linked to Hezbollah, accusing it of financing the group’s weapons, as the Israeli army expands the scope of its raids beyond military targets.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes hit Al-Qard al-Hassan branches in the cities of Nabatieh and Tyre overnight, according to the official National News Agency (NNA).

The Israeli military on Monday said it conducted a series of strikes against “dozens of facilities and sites” used by Hezbollah in Beirut and southern Lebanon, including on branches of the financial institution as it seeks to degrade the group’s ability to fund operations. Israel accuses Al-Qard al-Hassan of funding “Hezbollah’s terror activities”, including the purchase of weapons and payments to its fighters.

Al-Qard al-Hassan is a Hezbollah-linked financial firm offering microcredit in a country where the traditional banking system collapsed five years ago at the start of a crushing economic crisis.

The strikes mark an expansion of Israel’s nearly monthlong war with Hezbollah. On Sunday, 11 strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, NNA reported, many of them targeting Al-Qard al-Hassan. Other strikes hit Al-Qard al-Hassan branches in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley and in the country’s south.

The NNA also reported a strike near Beirut’s airport, the main entry point of humanitarian assistance to the country and a major evacuation hub for those fleeing the conflict.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Sunday the military was stepping up strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, destroying places the group “planned to use as launchpads for attacks against Israel”.