Israel begins air operations in Lebanon to hit Hezbollah's financial assets

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began airstrikes against Lebanon on Sunday amid the war against the Iranian theocracy-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.

The Israeli military reported that the strikes were aimed at hitting financial institutions linked to the group.

According to Fox News, the attacks are especially targeting Qard al-Hassan entities "throughout Lebanon."

Al-Qard al-Hassan, known to be Hezbollah's de facto financial arm, is a unit of the group responsible for financing terrorist activities.

Through the system, the terrorist group can afford to pay operatives, purchase weapons or other operations.

Al-Qard al-Hassan, sanctioned by the U.S. and other countries since 2007, also functions as an alternative bank for the Lebanese.

Before the attacks began, the IDF issued evacuation orders for civilians near these institutions.

Daniel Hagari, IDF spokesman, warned that the attacks would be forceful and widespread.

"I emphasize here—anyone located near sites used to fund Hezbollah’s terror activities must move away from these locations immediately," Hagari said. "We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night."

The spokesman also commented that in the coming hours, Israel will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah's criminal activities.

"In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah's terror activities by using civilian institutions, associations, and NGOs that act as fronts for terrorism. We will carry out these strikes tonight and provide updates on the results in the next days."

According to The New York Times, the attacks presuppose an escalation of Israel's war against Hezbollah.

According to the report, a senior Israeli intelligence official said the goal of targeting the terrorist group's de facto banking system - rather than other strategic military sites such as weapons depots or command and intelligence centers - is to disrupt Hezbollah's day-to-day operations and to strike a financial blow against the terrorist group.

In addition, Israel could also undermine Hezbollah's support within Lebanese communities and hamper its ability to rebuild during war.

At the moment, explosions have been heard in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, but there are no casualty or injury figures yet.

Meanwhile, the IDF reported that Hezbollah fired 200 rockets at Israel on Sunday without causing injuries.