Israeli strikes in Beirut, near the airport, occurred on Sunday night, after the Israeli army warned that it would directly target Hezbollah’s financial network.

Israeli airstrikes hit three branches of the Hezbollah-linked financial institution in Beirut, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

The strikes hit Al Qard Al Hassan branches in Hay Al Sellom, Burj Al Barajneh and Ghobeiry areas in Beirut’s southern suburbs, NNA reported.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to Reuters heard an explosion and saw smoke in Beirut’s southern suburbs. According to unconfirmed information, the facilities of the organization’s television station were also hit.

The IDF spokesman said earlier on Sunday that sites belonging to Hezbollah’s Al Qard al Hasan foundation, known to be used by the terrorist group as a quasi-bank, as well as other financial institutions, would be targeted.

As CNN reports, Al Qard Al Hassan is a non-profit financial institution linked to Hezbollah, founded in 1983. It offers interest-free loans to alleviate poverty in the Shia community, based on the Islamic Principles of interest-free lending, according to with Al-Manar.

Hezbollah has agreed to Resolution 1701, and the Lebanese army must be deployed south of the Litani River, the country’s acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Sunday night, as new IDF strikes in Beirut take place.

The IDF’s warning

Israel will launch targeted strikes on facilities linked to the financing of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Lebanese residents are asked to leave areas near these facilities, the spokesman for the Israeli army said today, as reported by SKAI’s envoy to Israel, Stavros Ioannidis.

“We will hit anyone who threatens us in the Middle East,” he says, adding that the IDF will attack a large number of targets in Beirut, including financial institutions and other entities that support Hezbollah. A senior Israeli intelligence official added that Israel is set to attack different branches of Hezbollah’s financial arm Al-Qard Al-Hassan. In fact, the strikes will start tonight and continue for the next few days.

This is Israel’s retaliation for the drone attack on Netanyahu’s home.

“Israel will strike Hezbollah’s financial network to prevent the militant organization from using its financial resources”Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference on Sunday.

Lebanese residents were asked to leave areas near these facilities and “move at least 500 meters away” for their safety.

What is Qard Al Hassan

As CNN reports, the Qard Al Hassan is a non-profit financial institution linked to Hezbollah, founded in 1983. It offers interest-free loans to alleviate poverty in the Shia community, based on the Islamic Principles of interest-free lending, according to Al-Manar TV channel.

Haggari said the Israeli military plans to target Qard Al Hassan facilities across Lebanon to disrupt Hezbollah’s financial network and shake trust between the organization and the Shiite population. He said that the Qard Al Hassan organization plays an important role in financing Hezbollah’s operations and that it functions like a bank.

The United States imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying it was being used by Hezbollah “as a front to manage the financial activities of the terrorist organization and to gain access to the international financial system.”

Hezbollah propaganda video

Earlier, Hezbollah in a new propaganda video reportedly declared “we are here”, in Tel Aviv. The aim of the organization’s video also appears to be to show the international public that it remains operational and combative despite being hit hard by the IDF.

The video shows Hezbollah soldiers armed like lobsters allegedly firing at Israeli targets.

The video also comes in the wake of the group’s drone strike near Benjamin Netanyahu’s seaside residence in Caesarea that is believed to be an assassination attempt on the Israeli prime minister.

The Lebanese organization announced that it had fired rockets at three military bases in northern Israel, following dozens of airstrikes by the Israeli army on Lebanese soil.

These “rocket barrages” targeted three military “bases”, including an “air defense” facility, in northern Israel near the cities of Haifa and Safed, and west of Lake Tiberias, according to statements released by the pro-Iranian group.

Gallad: “Hezbollah is collapsing”

Israel is “destroying” Lebanese Hezbollah positions “in all the villages along the border” between the two countries, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallad said earlier today, Sunday.

During a visit to northern Israel, where the army is carrying out operations against the pro-Iranian group in the neighboring country, Gallant told soldiers he was moving from a phase of fighting militants in surrounding villages to a “state of destruction”, blowing up tunnels and warehouses ammunition and destroying other Hezbollah infrastructure.

As The Times of Israel reports, the Israeli minister said Hezbollah officials arrested and interrogated by Israel are “terrorist” and that the Iran-backed organization “has collapsed.”

“Not only right now we are fighting the enemy, but we are destroying them in all the villages along the border, positions that Hezbollah wanted to use as bases for attacks against Israel,” he said.

“The result is that every place Hezbollah was preparing to raid [ισραηλινές] border towns, there are IDF soldiers” he added – as reported by The Times of Israel – and added:

“Our goal is to fully clear this area so residents can return to their homes and their lives.”

Gallant said the Israel Defense Forces were still “completing the mission” in Lebanon and that the army was “preparing for follow-on missions.”

It is noted that at this time Israel’s security cabinet is meeting at the headquarters of the Israeli army in Tel Aviv.