US Strike Kills Al-Qaeda-Linked Commander in Syria

A drone strike by the US-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group. (Reuters file photo)
A drone strike by the US-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group. (Reuters file photo)
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US Strike Kills Al-Qaeda-Linked Commander in Syria

A drone strike by the US-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group. (Reuters file photo)
A drone strike by the US-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group. (Reuters file photo)

A drone strike by the US-led coalition in northwestern Syria killed a senior member of an al-Qaeda-linked group, Syrian opposition activists and the US military said Tuesday.

The attack on the suspected militant, who was riding a motorcycle at the time, came shortly before midnight on Monday - the latest in a series of strikes over the past years targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants in northwestern Syria.

The US Central Command said its forces conducted "a kinetic strike" in Syria's Idlib province, targeting Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of Horas al-Din group. Al Yemeni was traveling alone at the time of the strike, it said, adding that initial review indicates no civilian casualties.

The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, said the attack occurred just south of the opposition-held city of Idlib. The White Helmets said there were no other fatalities except the man on the motorcycle, adding that they have handed over the man's body to morgue officials in Idlib.

Syrian opposition activists did not identify the slain man while the US Central Command statement indicated he was a Yemeni citizen.

Members of Horas al-Din, Arabic for "Guardians of Religion," are hardcore al-Qaeda elements who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest insurgent group in Idlib, the last major opposition enclave in war-torn Syria.

In June 2020, the US military killed Khaled Aruri, a top Jordanian commander with Horas al-Din, also in Idlib. A drone strike in December 2019 killed a senior Horas al-Din commander, the Jordanian citizen Bilal Khuraisat, also known as Abu Khadija al-Urduni.

CENTCOM said in its statement that violent extremist organizations, including Al-Qaeda-aligned organizations such as Horas al-Din, "continue to present a threat to America and our allies." It added that al-Qaeda-aligned militants use Syria as a safe haven to coordinate with their external affiliates and plan operations outside of Syria.

"The removal of this senior leader will disrupt al-Qaeda’s ability to carry out attacks against US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians around the world," CENTCOM said.

A US airstrike killed al-Qaeda’s second in command, former bin Laden aide Abu al-Kheir al-Masri, in Syria in 2017.

In February, the US military killed the latest ISIS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in Idlib province near the Turkish border. The first leader of the ISIS group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was also killed in a US strike in Idlib, in 2019.



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.