Monday, October 21, 2024

Israel strikes at heart of Hezbollah’s terror financing system - Joshua Marks

 

by Joshua Marks

The main target of the strikes was the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which according to the IDF stored billions of dollars for the Iranian proxy • Israeli Defense Minister: "Hezbollah is collapsing."

 

A cloud of smoke erupts following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Oct. 19, 2024. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
A cloud of smoke erupts following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Oct. 19, 2024. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.

Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah financial sites across Lebanon overnight Sunday, including in Beirut.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, dozens of facilities and sites used by the Iranian proxy to fund its terrorist activities against the Jewish state were attacked.

“These funds, which Hezbollah used for terror activities, were stored by the Al-Qard al-Hassan Association, which directly funds Hezbollah’s terror activities, including the purchase of weapons and payments to operatives in Hezbollah’s military wing,” the IDF said.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organization stores billions of dollars in the association’s branches, including money that was directly held under the name of the terrorist organization,” the statement continued.

“We will strike a large number of targets in the coming hours, and additional targets later tonight,” IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Sunday, emphasizing that in the coming days the IDF would reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah’s terror activities via civilian institutions, associations and organizations.

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The military emphasized that many measures were taken before the strikes to minimize harm to the civilian population, including issuing advanced warnings via various platforms.

Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, posted a video message in Arabic to X urging residents of Lebanon to move away from infrastructure associated with the Al-Qard al-Hassan Association shortly before the wave of attacks began.

“A large portion of Hezbollah’s terrorist activities is funded by the Iranian state budget. Hezbollah uses these funds to finance its terrorist activities, including acquiring weapons, purchasing facilities for storing combat equipment, establishing launch sites and paying its members, as well as carrying out various terrorist activities,” Adraee explained.

He issued evacuation notices for at least 25 buildings in the Beirut area, in the Bekaa Valley and in South Lebanon.

“The Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association is involved in financing Hezbollah’s terrorist activities against Israel. Therefore, the IDF has decided to target this terrorist infrastructure,” Adraee said.

“The IDF continues to work forcefully to destroy Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure. Therefore, we urge people inside buildings used by Hezbollah to move at least 500 meters away in the coming hours.”

Many explosions were reported in the Dahiya neighborhood south of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. Israeli attacks were also carried out near the Beirut airport. Buildings were seen collapsing and others were on fire.

According to Lebanese media reports, there were three casualties from a drone strike on a residential building in Baalbek, and additional strikes were reported in the Beqaa Valley region.

“These strikes are part of the IDF’s ongoing efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure, its military capabilities and ability to rebuild,” the IDF said.

According to Channel 12, Hezbollah’s economic institution, Al-Qard, operates about 30 branches in areas of Lebanon where Shi’ite Muslims are concentrated, with about half of the branches being in Beirut.

Most of the bank’s funding comes from Iran, totaling some $700 million per year, as well as from illegal sources such as cocaine trafficking, according to the report.

“The Shiite terror organization is under heavy sanctions, and Qard Al-Hassan allows it to operate without significant restrictions,” Channel 12 reported.

“According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the volume of loans given by Qard Al-Hassan grew from approximately $76.5 million in 2007, the year after the Second Lebanon War, to around $480 million in 2019. The total activity of Qard Al-Hassan from the opening of the network in 1983 until 2019 is estimated at about $3.5 billion,” the report continued.

This growth occurred despite American sanctions imposed as early as 2007.

“The reason for this is that the employees of Qard Al-Hassan use private accounts in recognized banks in Lebanon, with the aim of circumventing the sanctions,” according to Channel 12.

IDF ground operations in Southern Lebanon continue

The IDF said on Monday morning that over the past 24 hours, troops in Southern Lebanon had located and dismantled large amounts of Hezbollah weaponry, including anti-tank missiles, launchers aimed at Israeli communities, RPG launchers, munitions, explosives, grenades and additional combat equipment.

Soldiers also killed Hezbollah terrorists, including tactical-level commanders and a terrorist cell that had launched anti-tank missiles at soldiers.

The Israeli Air Force also struck dozens of launchers aimed at Israel, and additional Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites.

Israel’s army provided further updates on the ground activities in Southern Lebanon on Monday afternoon, reporting that the 188th Brigade Combat Team under the command of the 36th Division killed terrorists and destroyed underground infrastructure and large amounts of weapons.

In recent days, soldiers destroyed a weapons storage facility located in a residential neighborhood next to a house. The facility contained dozens of long- and short-range missiles, ammunition, mortars, machine guns, explosives and medical equipment.

Separately, Israeli forces destroyed a vehicle equipped with a rocket launcher found near a house. According to the IDF, “the vehicle was fully equipped and prepared to launch rockets towards Israeli communities.”

Hezbollah rocket attacks continue

Sirens sounded in northern Israel’s Galilee region on Monday morning, with the IDF reporting 25 launches from Lebanon crossing into Israeli territory.

Some of the rockets were intercepted, and several impacts were identified. No injuries were reported.

Alarms were again activated in northern Israel during the afternoon hours, with residents in the Haifa area and Galilee running to bomb shelters. The IDF said that a missile launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon was shot down.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service reported that a 40-year-old man was lightly injured by shrapnel following sirens in the Upper Galilee region. The man, reportedly a foreign national, was hit in the Ayelet HaShahar area and transported to Ziv Medical Center in Safed.

Also in the afternoon, IAF fighter jets struck 15 short-range missile launchers located in Southern Lebanon that were directed toward communities in northern Israel. These included the launchers from which projectiles were fired at the Western Galilee. The terrorist infrastructure used by Hezbollah in areas of Southern Lebanon was also targeted.

During the overnight hours, sirens sounded in the Jordan Valley area due to a drone crossing into Israeli territory from the east, that was intercepted. Earlier on Sunday night, a drone approaching Israel was shot down over Syria.

Some 200 Hezbollah projectiles were launched into Israeli territory throughout Sunday.

Gallant: Hezbollah is collapsing

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday during a visit to Israel’s northern border that the offensive against Hezbollah was seriously degrading the Iranian-backed terror army.

“Not only are we defeating the enemy [Hezbollah], but we are destroying them in all the villages along the border, in the places that Hezbollah planned to use as launchpads for attacks against Israel. In those places, instead there is now a presence of IDF troops, overwhelming the terrorists,” Gallant told soldiers serving in the IDF’s 98th Division.

The minister held an operational assessment with the division commander and other senior officers, and also spoke with combat troops.

“Our goal is to completely ‘clean’ the area [of Hezbollah infrastructure] so that Israel’s northern communities may return to their homes and rebuild their lives. I believe that this is very significant—the IDF is conducting operations and we still have missions to complete,” Gallant said.

“We have Hezbollah prisoners who are sharing information. They have informed us of the great fear felt [among Hezbollah terrorists]. Hezbollah is collapsing.”


 Joshua Marks

Source: https://www.jns.org/israel-strikes-at-heart-of-hezbollahs-terror-financing-system/

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