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.”



Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinians in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin are observing a general strike called by militant groups to protest a rare crackdown by Palestinian security forces.
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.