In a chilling escalation of the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an ominous warning on Sunday night: evacuate areas linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association immediately. The militant group’s financial arm was squarely in the crosshairs.
Mere moments later, a series of powerful blasts rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as a Hezbollah stronghold. Plumes of thick, black smoke billowed over the terrified city as panicked residents fled, clogging streets in a desperate bid to reach safer areas.
According to witnesses who spoke anonymously due to security concerns, at least one building in the Chiyah neighborhood was reduced to rubble. The area had largely emptied before the strike, likely preventing mass casualties.
IDF Vows to Cripple Hezbollah Financing
In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee minced no words. He accused Al-Qard al-Hassan of bankrolling Hezbollah’s “terrorist activities” against Israel, vowing to dismantle this vital financial infrastructure.
An unnamed senior Israeli intelligence official went further, telling reporters that the strikes aimed to hobble Hezbollah’s economic functioning both during the current hostilities and in the war’s aftermath. Rebuilding its arsenal would become that much harder.
But Al-Qard al-Hassan quickly fired back, asserting that it was a legitimate non-profit serving the Lebanese people. Israel, it claimed, had simply run out of military targets.
Strikes Spread, Airport Threatened
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the Israeli assault was far from limited to Beirut. Al-Qard al-Hassan branches in the Bekaa Valley and the country’s south also came under fire in a sweeping aerial offensive.
A strike even landed perilously close to Beirut’s international airport, threatening to sever Lebanon’s vital gateway for humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations.
– Close source
On the ground, United Nations peacekeepers found themselves caught in the fray. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon reported that an Israeli bulldozer had intentionally demolished an observation post near the southern village of Marwahin. A stern reminder of the respect due to UN personnel and property swiftly followed.
Tensions Boil Over
The Lebanon-Israel border had already been on a knife’s edge for days. On Sunday alone, around 70 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel within a brief timespan.
The IDF tweeted that Hezbollah “planned to use the bombed areas as launchpads for attacks against Israel.” By striking preemptively, Israel aimed to thwart the militants’ schemes.
But fears remained that the attacks could light the fuse for a much broader confrontation. With Iran, Hezbollah’s chief patron, also trading blows with Israel in recent days, the region sat on a powder keg that threatened to explode at any moment.
A Potential Tipping Point?
The Israeli operation against Al-Qard al-Hassan marked a new stage in the ongoing shadow war between Israel and Iran’s proxies. By targeting Hezbollah’s purse strings, Israel sought to deal the group a devastating blow without an all-out ground war.
But as the smoke cleared over Beirut, a crucial question loomed: would this daring gambit pay off or plunge the region into a bloody new chapter of conflict? The coming days and weeks could prove decisive.
As the world held its breath, Lebanon braced for more turbulence ahead. In this war-weary nation, deeply divided along sectarian lines, the Israeli strikes risked pouring fuel on long-smoldering tensions. A misstep by either side could be disastrous.
From the refugee settlements in the Bekaa Valley to the bustling streets of Beirut, a sense of dread now grips the lives of millions. Until the guns fall silent, no one can feel truly safe. It is a plight that has become all too familiar for the Lebanese people.
