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Israeli Military to Target Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hasan in Lebanon

People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
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Israeli Military to Target Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hasan in Lebanon

People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)

Israel will carry out targeted strikes on sites belonging to Hezbollah's financial arm in Lebanon in coming hours and Lebanese residents should evacuate areas close to those facilities, an Israeli military spokesperson said on Sunday.

"We will attack a number of targets in the coming hours," spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a news briefing.

"In the coming hours we will issue an evacuation warning to Lebanese residents in Beirut and other locations to evacuate from sites that are used to fund Hezbollah's terrorism activities."

A senior Israeli intelligence official added that they were going to be attacking different branches of Iran-backed Hezbollah's financing arm Al-Qard Al-Hasan.

No details were given about the locations of the sites that would be targeted.

The United States imposed sanctions on Al-Qard al-Hasan in 2007, saying it was used by Hezbollah "as a cover to manage the terrorist group's financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.”

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Pentagon Acknowledges There Are More than 2,500 US Troops in Iraq

A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Pentagon Acknowledges There Are More than 2,500 US Troops in Iraq

A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)
A US soldier is seen at a military base near Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The Pentagon acknowledged Monday that there are more than 2,500 US troops in Iraq, the total routinely touted publicly. It also said the number of forces in Syria has grown over the past “several years” due to increasing threats, but was not openly disclosed.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that there are “at least 2,500” US military personnel in Iraq “plus some additional, temporary enablers” that are on rotational deployments.

He said that due to diplomatic considerations, the department will not provide more specifics.

The US concluded sensitive negotiations with the government of Iraq in September that called for troops to begin leaving after the November election.

The presence of US troops there has long been a political liability for Iraqi leaders who are under increased pressure and influence from Iran.

US officials have not provided details about the withdrawal agreement, but it calls for the mission against the ISIS group to end by September 2025, and that some US troops will remain through 2026 to support the anti-ISIS mission in Syria. Some troops may stay in the Kurdistan region after that because the regional government would like them to stay.

Ryder announced last week that there are about 2,000 US troops in Syria – more than double the 900 that the US had acknowledged publicly until now.

On Monday he said the extra 1,100 would be deployed for shorter times to do force protection, transportation, maintenance and other missions. He said the number has fluctuated for the past several years and increased “over time.”