The Israeli army launched for the first time, late on Tuesday afternoon, a series of airstrikes on different neighborhoods in the center of Beirut, following a warning saying it will target Al-Qard Al-Hassan branches, the financial institution of Hezbollah, in Ras Beirut, Mousseitbeh, Mazraa and Zokak el-Blat. It issued the same warning for Saida and Tyre.
A warplane first targeted an apartment in the Barbour area of Beirut and in Al-Nuweiry, where seven people were killed and eleven others were wounded, according to the Ministry of Health. Human remains were found on the site. DNA testing will be needed for identification.
It then launched two other airstrikes in the Mar Elias area and in Kuwait embassy neighborhood, while drones were flying over Beirut.
The airstrikes were conducted a few hours before an expected ceasefire announcement, as the Israeli Security Cabinet convened to approve the Lebanon truce deal.
Panic engulfed Beirut’s residents as Israeli Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued several unprecedented warnings for Beirut, announcing plans to bombard their neighborhoods. People started evacuating immediately. Massive traffic jams clogged all routes leading out of Beirut, creating waves of chaos as people rushed to flee.
The warnings urged residents to maintain a distance of 50 meters from targeted locations, a stark reduction from the usual 500 meters, intensifying the sense of urgency and fear.
Adraee also announced that in the upcoming hours, the Israeli army will target several branches of the "Al-Qard Al-Hassan, in Saida, Tyre and the Bekaa, saying they contain funds sourced from Iranian financing and other Hezbollah income streams.” He added, “These funds are effectively used to manage and store Hezbollah's terrorist interests.”
“These strikes will deal an additional blow to the Iranian funding network that Hezbollah relies on and uses through this association for its military purposes,” according to Adraee.
Earlier on Tuesday, Adraee stated that “the army carried out a series of airstrikes on 20 terrorist targets in a swift operation lasting 120 seconds, involving eight fighter jets, in different neighborhoods of the southern suburb of Beirut. Among the targets were seven sites used for managing and storing Hezbollah funds, as well as command centers, cash depots, and branches of the ‘Al-Qard Al-Hassan’ association.”
Additionally, Israeli flares were launched over the seat of government in Beirut as Israel bombs across the country ahead of an expected ceasefire.
Ministry of Public Health
The Ministry of Public health announced that seven people were killed in Al-Nuweiry, targeted early this afternoon, without the usual evacuation warning. Thirty-seven others were injured. Rescue operations to remove the rubble are still ongoing.
In Tyre, an initial toll reports three people killed in an airstrike on the Rachidiyeh camp, including a child. The recovered remains will require DNA testing to identify. Additionally, 22 people were injured. Rescue operations to remove the rubble are still ongoing.
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