UPDATES WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS, CHANGES HEAD, DECK, LEDE
By Naim Berjawi
BEIRUT (AA) — The Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes on Beirut late Sunday, targeting the Lebanese capital's southern suburb, following Israeli threats to bomb buildings housing branches of the Qard al-Hassan financial institution affiliated with the Hezbollah group.
Israeli warplanes carried out at least nine strikes within an hour, targeting the association's branches in Hayy al-Sellum, Borj al-Barajneh, and Ghobeiry in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
Earlier, the Israeli army threatened to attack "important economic assets" of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"The air force will launch extensive strikes on targets in the southern suburb of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah-linked economic assets," Daniel Hagari, the army spokesperson, said in a news conference.
"In a few minutes, we will issue warnings to residents in the southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley to evacuate several buildings located near Hezbollah facilities,” Avichay Adraee, the army's spokesperson in Arabic, said on X.
Qard al-Hassan is one of the key financial institutions of Hezbollah, established in the 1980s as a charitable association.
Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing more than 1.34 million.
The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed more than 42,600 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.
Israel expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala