Beirut: Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes late Sunday after Israel announced preparations to strike sites linked to Hezbollah’s financial network. The Israeli military urged civilians to evacuate areas associated with the group’s Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, warning of imminent attacks.
Shortly after the warning, several explosions were heard, and a large fire erupted in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The cause of the blasts remains unclear, and there are no immediate reports of casualties.
Witnesses reported panic in the streets as people scrambled to escape, causing traffic jams in parts of the city. “Residents of Lebanon, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will begin attacking infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association—get away from it immediately,” said an IDF spokesperson in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which the U.S. has designated as a financial arm of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, operates more than 30 branches across Lebanon, including 15 in heavily populated areas of Beirut and its suburbs.
So far, neither Hezbollah, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, nor the Lebanese government has issued any statements regarding the attacks.
When asked by reporters whether these financial branches could be considered military targets, a senior Israeli intelligence official said, “The purpose of this strike is to cripple Hezbollah’s ability to function economically during the war and hinder its capacity to rebuild and rearm in the aftermath.”
Escalating Conflict
Cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah erupted over a year ago when Hezbollah launched rocket attacks in support of Hamas during its conflict with Israel in Gaza. In early October, Israel launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon to secure its northern border after repeated Hezbollah rocket fire forced Israeli residents to evacuate.
Israel has since escalated military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon. This heightened campaign follows the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, which had briefly raised hopes for ceasefire talks.
With U.S. elections on the horizon, regional diplomats and sources suggest that Israel is intensifying its military actions to secure its borders and prevent rival groups from regrouping. Israel is also preparing to retaliate against an Iranian missile barrage from earlier this month, though Washington has reportedly cautioned against targeting Iranian energy or nuclear sites.
Recent Strikes and Casualties
Earlier on Sunday, Israel claimed responsibility for strikes on Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters and an underground weapons facility in Beirut. Israeli fighter jets also killed three Hezbollah commanders, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah has not commented on the strikes but confirmed that it fired missiles at Israeli forces in Lebanon and a military base in northern Israel.
On the same day, an Israeli colonel was killed, and another officer was injured during combat in northern Gaza, according to Israeli military reports. Local media outlets Channel 12 and Kan reported that an explosive device had detonated under an Israeli tank.
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In northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, rescuers continued to recover bodies from the rubble following an Israeli airstrike that killed or left missing 87 people on Saturday, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel’s military claimed the strike targeted a Hamas stronghold and disputed the initial death toll of 73 released by Hamas media.
The current Gaza conflict began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s military response has claimed over 42,500 Palestinian lives and displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, according to Palestinian officials.
In Lebanon, more than 2,400 people have been killed, and over 1.2 million displaced in the past year due to Israeli-Hezbollah clashes. In northern Israel and the Golan Heights, Israeli authorities report 59 deaths during the same period.
