Late Sunday, the Israeli military began launching a series of airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahieh and in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, targeting the branches of a bank.
The strikes began shortly after an Israeli military spokesman said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would start hitting buildings that belong to al-Qard al-Hassan Association, a bank that Israel accused of financing Hezbollah.
“The air force will launch extensive strikes on targets in the southern suburb of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah-linked economic assets,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said not long before the strikes were launched.
Al-Qard al-Hassan is under US sanctions over allegations related to Hezbollah, but the bank is also used by ordinary Lebanese citizens. According to Reuters, the bank has 30 branches across Lebanon, including 15 in densely populated parts of Beirut and its suburbs.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported at least 11 Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, including one that landed near Beirut International Airport, and many targeted al-Qard al-Hassan buildings. Several strikes were also reported in the Bekaa Valley.
The bank issued a statement assuring its customers that it had taken “all of the necessary procedures since the beginning of the war to safeguard your deposits and valuables and can confirm that you should not worry they are safe.”
Israeli strikes have been pounding Dahieh in recent days despite the US assuring the Lebanese government that the attacks on the capital city and its suburbs would ease. On Saturday, at least a dozen Israeli strikes hit Dahieh.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that at least 17 people were killed and another 59 were injured by Israeli strikes on Saturday, bringing the death toll since October 2023 to 2,464. The breakdown is unclear, but many civilians have been killed by Israel’s onslaught. The Israeli military has flattened many residential buildings and targeted families that fled evacuation zones.