October 20th 2024.
On Sunday, Israel's military made an announcement that they would be shifting their focus to target the financial arm of Lebanon-based militant group, Hezbollah. They also mentioned plans to attack multiple targets in Beirut and other areas in the coming hours. Shortly after this announcement, explosions were reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
According to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, they have issued evacuation warnings and advised people to stay away from any sites that may be used to finance Hezbollah's terrorist activities. The first warnings were directed towards southern Beirut and the eastern Bekaa valley.
Reports suggest that the strikes will target al-Qard al-Hassan, a unit within Hezbollah that is responsible for paying operatives and purchasing weapons for the Iran-backed group. A senior Israeli intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated that the strikes will cover all of Lebanon. Al-Qard al-Hassan is a registered nonprofit organization that provides financial services and is also utilized by ordinary Lebanese citizens. Its name means "the benevolent loan" in Arabic, and Hezbollah has been known to use it to gain support among the Shiite population in a country where government and financial institutions have been failing.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been escalating for the past year, with frequent cross-border fire and conflicts over the war in Gaza. This eventually led to an all-out war last month, with Israel sending ground troops into Lebanon. The timing of Israel's announcement comes a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern over the high number of civilian casualties in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and urged Israel to reduce their strikes, especially in and around Beirut.
It is worth noting that Iran supports Hezbollah, and the United States is currently investigating a leak of classified documents that suggest Israel was preparing for a military strike in response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on October 1st. Three US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed this information as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
In the midst of all this, the Lebanese army reported that three soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicle in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on this incident but did confirm that they had struck over 100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, and their ground operations in the area are ongoing.
The Lebanese army has mostly stayed out of the conflict, as they lack the power to defend the country from an Israeli invasion or impose their will on Hezbollah. The army is highly respected in Lebanon, but it is not strong enough to intervene in this situation.
Meanwhile, reports also state that Hezbollah has fired more than 170 rockets into Israel on Sunday. This has resulted in three people sustaining minor injuries from a fire caused by a rocket attack in the northern city of Safed, as reported by Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.
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