Israel has intensified its air raids against Hezbollah-related establishments in Beirut and southern Lebanon, such as the branches of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan association, which is a financial institution suspected of channelling funds to Hezbollah. Explosions have been reported in southern Beirut’s Dahieh district and the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, as part of an ongoing military campaign by Israel. The IDF had issued warnings in 20 areas, of which 14 were in Beirut, to evacuate and go into shelters before expected strikes on places the Israelis claimed were Hezbollah’s financial headquarters related to the possibility of strikes.
The IDF said it struck several objectives,
Including the headquarters of Hezbollah’s intelligence apparatus and an underground factory used for manufacturing weapons in Beirut, but the Israelis claimed that all that was done was to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible. On the other hand, allegations of civilians being targeted are growing, and this is denied by Israel.
The spokesman of the IDF,
Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, cautioned civilians to avoid places that abet Hezbollah activities, and that the strikes would continue. In addition, he claimed that Israel would expose Iran’s funding of Hezbollah’s activities through NGOs under civilian pretexts.
According to Lebanese state news agency NNA,
Israeli strikes hit Al-Qard Al-Hassan branches in some points near Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets at Israeli military bases in northern Israel and claimed attacks on Israeli ground troops in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanon army said that three of its soldiers were killed in the southern Lebanon town of Nabatieh when an Israeli airstrike struck a military vehicle. Israel has yet to comment on this, but there’s been an escalation of fighting between the two sides in which casualties of the Lebanese army have increased in Israeli attacks.
Cross-border raids – The acts were committed by Hezbollah,
The major militant group in Lebanon. The group is known to stand on the side of Hamas, an organization supported by Iran. The war has already taken more than 2,400 lives since the previous year in Lebanon, while in northern Israel and occupied Golan Height, Israel reported killing 59 of them.
For example, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon condemned Israel for destroying a United Nations observation post in southern Lebanon, calling the act a grave breach of international law. This is the culmination of several other similar incidents which have caused friction in this region.