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Israel Prepares to Face 'Two Busy Months'

Israeli security forces stand at the site where an Israeli was wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli Police said, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israeli security forces stand at the site where an Israeli was wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli Police said, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
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Israel Prepares to Face 'Two Busy Months'

Israeli security forces stand at the site where an Israeli was wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli Police said, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israeli security forces stand at the site where an Israeli was wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli Police said, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The Israeli Army and Security Forces (Shabak) are preparing to face tension in the Palestinian territories, as the coming months will witness “many inciting events,” according to Israeli military sources.
 
The sources hinted at the possibility of the emergence of a “mini-popular uprising”, in which violent clashes could erupt.
 
They enumerated a list of events in the upcoming months, most notably the commemoration of Earth Day on March 30, the beginning of the Hebrew Passover the following day, in addition to the Prisoner Day on April 17, during which activities are held in every town and village in solidarity with the prisoners. Two days later, Israel commemorates the 70th “founding anniversary” with extended celebrations, and on May 13, it celebrates what it calls the “Jerusalem Liberation Day” and organizes marches inside the walls of the Old City.
 
On May 14, the US State Department will officially transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem, as previously announced. On the same day, the Palestinians would commemorate Al-Nakba, and then comes the holy month of Ramadan.
 
The area is expected to witness escalated tensions, according to Israeli security leaders, who are monitoring a large number of planned or anticipated Palestinian events, such as mass rallies organized by Hamas along the border fence towards the end of March.
 
In press remarks on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman alleged that the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas “is deliberately provoking a war between Israel and Hamas.”
 
According to the sources, Israel will be requested not only to increase readiness and vigilance on the Gaza border, but also to make initial decisions to try to avoid confrontations, and to determine the extent to which it would intensify the response to attacks from the Gaza Strip. The situation in Gaza will also be affected by events in the West Bank.
 
During this period, coordination with the Palestinian Authority’s security services will also be crucial. It will not only help stop operations, but also prevent mass events that could ignite the region.

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Israel Tracks Hezbollah’s Cash Vaults from Damascus to Dahiyeh and Sidon

Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP
Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP
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Israel Tracks Hezbollah’s Cash Vaults from Damascus to Dahiyeh and Sidon

Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP
Hezbollah members are seen during a military exercise held by the group in southern Lebanon in May 2023.File photo – AP

Israel is expanding its campaign to dismantle Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure, targeting suspected cash storage sites from the Syrian capital Damascus to the Beirut southern suburb of Dahiyeh and the coastal city of Sidon.

Israel’s rare announcement this week of a strike targeting a Lebanese money changer it accused of transferring funds to Hezbollah marks a sharp escalation in its efforts to dismantle the group’s financial networks, a campaign that first surfaced in Syria in 2020 and intensified during its latest military offensive in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israel said it had struck Haitham Bakri, a money changer in southern Lebanon, claiming he had facilitated financial transactions for Hezbollah. The move comes amid a wider Israeli push to cripple the group’s access to cash, which has included targeting buildings believed to store Hezbollah funds, notably in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israeli military statements have typically focused on military targets. But this week’s public naming of Bakri — along with disclosures about other money changers allegedly assisting Hezbollah — represents a rare departure from the norm. Previous Israeli claims of targeting financial hubs were often dismissed by locals until the latest war provided fresh evidence, with several sites connected to Hezbollah’s cash reserves coming under fire.

Hezbollah, which is under US sanctions and designated a terrorist group by Washington, has relied almost exclusively on cash-based transactions since 2011, when Lebanese banks began shutting out individuals suspected of ties to the movement.

Financial sources told Asharq al-Awsat that the Israeli pressure campaign complements broader international efforts to sever Hezbollah’s funding channels — including tighter security at Beirut’s airport and the closure of smuggling routes to Syria.

In January, Hezbollah members cordoned off a bombed building in the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik during debris removal operations, according to local sources. Witnesses said they saw “what was left of iron safes” being pulled from the wreckage.

No residents claimed ownership of the items retrieved, raising suspicions that the contents — believed to include large sums of money — belonged to Hezbollah.

That incident was not isolated. Residents in southern Beirut say they witnessed similar scenes after Israeli airstrikes, including burned US $100 bills scattered across the ruins of a building in the Mreijeh district. One local told Asharq al-Awsat he could not confirm whether the cash belonged to Hezbollah or to tenants of the targeted building.

Further south, residents of a village in Nabatieh district reported finding scorched money after an Israeli strike destroyed a home. During the same period, Lebanese media reported that a Hezbollah operative responsible for salary transfers was killed in northern Lebanon.

Following months of ambiguity surrounding Hezbollah’s financial network — most notably the discovery of money changer Mohammad Srour’s tortured body in Lebanon’s Mount Lebanon district in April — Israel has launched a new phase of strikes aimed at what it claims are funding channels for the Iran-backed group.

This latest move expands the scope of Israeli targeting to include four Lebanese money exchange companies allegedly linked to Hezbollah, according to the Israeli military. The move risks further damaging the reputation of Lebanon’s financial sector, already battered by years of economic collapse and corruption.

“This poses a direct threat to the credibility of the currency exchange sector,” said economist and university professor Pierre Khoury. He told Asharq al-Awsat that Lebanon urgently needs to implement financial reforms to strip Israel of its stated justifications.

“Israeli attacks are completely illegal under any pretext, as they violate the sovereignty of a nation,” Khoury said. “But the Lebanese government must eliminate any pretext by enforcing financial governance and transparency. If it does so, any future Israeli attacks will be without justification.”

Khoury pointed to international reports that say Lebanese financial institutions — including banks — are still not fully compliant with global anti-money laundering standards.

“The state must take serious steps to ensure financial transparency through capable institutions,” he added. “Only then can Lebanon shed its image as a haven for political financing and money laundering.”