Lebanese Army Clashes with Outlaws in Bekaa Region

Lebanese soldiers take cover behind their armored vehicle as they enter the Abra neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Sidon, on June 24, 2013. (Joseph Eid/AFP)
Lebanese soldiers take cover behind their armored vehicle as they enter the Abra neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Sidon, on June 24, 2013. (Joseph Eid/AFP)
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Lebanese Army Clashes with Outlaws in Bekaa Region

Lebanese soldiers take cover behind their armored vehicle as they enter the Abra neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Sidon, on June 24, 2013. (Joseph Eid/AFP)
Lebanese soldiers take cover behind their armored vehicle as they enter the Abra neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Sidon, on June 24, 2013. (Joseph Eid/AFP)

The Lebanese army raided whereabouts of outlaws in the Bekaa town of Britel on Friday after which violent clashes erupted. Two wanted persons were killed while one soldier got injured during the operation.

In a statement, the army said its forces raided the houses of a number of wanted persons accused of forming an armed cell, planning to steal cars and rob by force of arms, in addition to counterfeiting of currency and drugs trafficking.

The army also arrested a person who had fled from the Baabda Justice Palace with several inmates late in 2020.

Last November, more than 60 inmates escaped from Baabda prison, including five who later died in a car accident on a nearby road.

Later, the Internal Security Forces said that several of them have been arrested while others turned themselves in.

Britel, which is close to Syria, has been linked to criminals and drug dealers.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.