By james art About an hour later, explosions began in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said they would issue evacuation warnings to people in parts of Beirut and “anyone who will be near the sites used to finance Hezbollah’s terrorist activity should stay away from them immediately.”
The first warnings affected southern Beirut and the eastern part of the Bekaa Valley.
The strikes will target al-Qard al-Hassan “all over Lebanon,” a senior Israeli intelligence official said.
Al-Qard al-Hassan is a Hezbollah unit used to pay operatives of the Iran-backed militant group and help buy weapons, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with army regulations.
Its name means “benevolent loan” in Arabic, and Hezbollah has used it to cement its support among the Shia population in a country where state and financial institutions have failed in recent years.
Al-Qard al-Hassan in a statement called the decision to target it a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assured clients it had taken “measures” to ensure their funds were safe.
The registered non-profit, sanctioned by both the US and Saudi Arabia, provides financial services and is also used by ordinary Lebanese.
The scope of the new Israeli evacuation warnings was not clear.
A year of escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah over the war in Gaza turned into all-out war last month, and Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon earlier this month.
Israel’s announcement came a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Lebanon’s civilian casualties “too high” in the Israel-Hezbollah war and called on Israel to scale back some strikes, particularly in and around Beirut.
Iran supports Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the United States is investigating the unauthorized release of classified documents showing Israel was moving military assets to a military strike site in response to Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack, according to three U.S. officials.
The announcement came after the Lebanese army said three soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday on their vehicle in southern Lebanon.
There was no comment on the matter from the Israeli military, which said it had struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past day and continued ground operations there.
Lebanon’s military has largely stayed out of the war. The army is a respected institution in Lebanon, but it is not powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or defend the country against an Israeli invasion.
Israel’s military said Hezbollah fired more than 170 rockets into the country on Sunday. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said three people were slightly injured in a fire caused by a rocket attack on the northern city of Safed.
Israel has stepped up strikes on Beirut’s southern neighborhoods known as Dahiyeh, a crowded residential area where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
It is also home to many civilians who are not affiliated with the armed groups.