Israel focuses on sites surrounding Hezbollah financial institutions
In Lebanon, the Israeli military takes aim at financial institutions linked to Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite militia backing Iran. During the dead of night, these institutions become the target of a series of targeted attacks, with the Israeli army citing the facilities' role in funding Hezbollah's acts of terrorism towards Israel. The attacks span various locations, from Beirut to the heart of Lebanon's interior.
Specifically, branches of the Al-Kard Al-Hassan association, functioning as a bank for Hezbollah, were hit in this operation. These branches manage funds allocated for Hezbollah's activities, such as purchasing weapons and paying members of their paramilitary wing. The Israeli army further confirms the presence of massive US dollar holdings within the association's branches, allegedly including funds connected to Hezbollah itself. As with any unverified claims, these assertions require solid evidence for validation.
Interestingly, US peace mediator Amos Hochstein is set to visit Lebanon the same day, aiming to bring down the tension between Hezbollah and Israel.
Representing the Israeli Defense Forces, spokesman Daniel Hagari reiterated their intention to reveal Iran's methods of funding Hezbollah's terrorist activities by exploiting civilian facilities, associations, and NGOs. Hagari urged civilians to evacuate areas surrounding Hezbollah's financial institutions in Beirut and other locations within the country instantly.
After warnings and evacuations, an aerial assault ensued, as reported by the Lebanese NNA. Odysseys of at least eleven consecutive strikes were recorded in Beirut's suburbs, with one specific building hitting the country's lone international airport. Images propagated via social media depicted smoke trails billowing into the skies south of Beirut. Military videos scored by the Israeli Defense Forces depicted various airstrikes, such as one that demolished a couple of multistory structures.
Assessing Israel's primary objective in attacking Al-Kard Al-Hassan, an intelligence official from the Israeli Defense Forces explained that the aim was to undermine the trust between two key entities: Hezbollah and a significant group of the Shiite community utilizing this association as a banking system.
The Israeli Defense Force's strategy is predicated on disabling Hezbollah to hinder its rebuilding and rearming capabilities, in the underlying belief that even when conflict ceases, it may continue to threaten Israel. Thus far, the Israeli aggression in Lebanon primarily centered on Hezbollah's military infrastructure, with collateral damage inflicted upon both residential properties and civilian structures.
Checkpoints in control of Hezbollah reach a significant number in Lebanon, primarily in its southern regions along the Israel-Lebanon border, Shiite-populated neighborhoods in south Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley to the north. At the same time, the group influences politics in Lebanon, which straddles the brink of economic collapse. With the Israeli assaults persisting, the damage reported by eye-witnesses is colossal; whole towns in the south were allegedly reduced to ruins, and the suburbs of Beirut are left with demolished structures.
As the Israeli Defense Forces strikes upon Hezbollah, targeting sites that have been launching daily rockets towards Israel for over a year, guilt by association affects the civilian population living in Hezbollah strongholds. Such skirmishes culminated in the destruction of barracks and the damage to civilian infrastructure.
Losses are reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut, considered a pro-Hezbollah citadel; the relative permanence of only residential scraps lingers as a constant reminder of destruction. The Lebanese Army, seemingly committed to maintaining neutrality in the situation, also reported casualties from its ranks.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported a fatality count of five soldiers in a battle in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah retaliated with approximately 200 rockets directed at Israel throughout the day. Alerts blared throughout the North of Israel during the evening, with reports of intercepting drones in the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee. An earlier drone attack in the Arab nation of Syria, believed to be a Hezbollah-led operation, further added the tension.
Upon his arrival in Beirut, the US peace mediator, Amos Hochstein, began high-level negotiations with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as well as Parliament Speaker and confidant of Hezbollah, Nabih Berri. Ties between Hezbollah, with military and political backing from Iran, have extended to the Lebanese government for decades, with the group regularly engaging in charitable activities while maintaining a paramilitary wing. A string of sanctions, such as Germany's 2020 ban on all activities related to Hezbollah, demonstrate the international community's concerns about the militia group's operations.
Hochstein's efforts to de-escalate tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have upheld for months, with speculations that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will take part in meetings with conflicting parties soon. Blinken's planned trip to Isreal slated for Tuesday is just the beginning, as his journey through the Middle East promises to shape the destiny of countries plagued by persistent conflicts. Blinken vowed to prevent further loss of innocent lives in the Gaza Strip, balancing the need for peace and understanding with the right of Israel to defend itself.
The conflicts in Gaza kicked off following a violent act by Hamas and radical Islamic extremists aimed at Israel on October 7, 2023. This act resulted in the tragic loss of approximately 1,200 lives and an additional 250 individuals being held captive within the Gaza Strip. Post-war, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah further intensified.
The European Union, being a significant global political entity, has repeatedly expressed concerns over the escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, calling for de-escalation and adherence to international law. Despite these calls, the Israeli military's operations against Hezbollah-linked financial institutions in Lebanon, such as the Al-Kard Al-Hassan association, raise questions about the potential collateral damage and impact on innocent civilians.
