The Israeli military says it hit "dozens" of buildings that housed branches of Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH) - a bank which they say is used by Hezbollah.

Set up in 1982 as a charitable foundation, the lender was officially registered in 1987 - its name means "The Good Loan" or "The Benevolent Loan".

AQAH was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury in 2007, due to alleged ties with Hezbollah. The US says it serves as a critical financial network for the group.

It operates outside traditional Western systems, allowing Lebanese people to get around restrictions imposed by local banks.

There are 34 branches for AQAH across Lebanon. As we've reported, Lebanese media say there have been at least 16 airstrikes on buildings with AQAH branches - most of them in southern Beirut.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Israel’s targeting of AQAH bank branches caused "widespread panic" in Beirut, says the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon.

In a post on X, external, formerly Twitter, Jeanine Hennis says there was a "brief window to escape to safety" after Israel issued warnings, adding that "intense blasts reverberate across the night sky".

"With each day, Lebanon suffers more. But even amid the escalating violence, solutions remain available. If only opportunities would be seized," she concludes in her post.

Footage elsewhere showed people fleeing central Beirut on foot or in cars. Some families said they planned to spend the night out in the open, and return home during the day.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

The first airstrikes happened about 20 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders, at around 21:30 here last night. There were chaotic scenes in some parts of Beirut, as people tried to get to areas they thought would be safer, and thick plumes of smoke were seen over the city’s southern suburbs.

The targets were branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a financial association linked with Hezbollah. It offers services to civilians in Shia Muslim communities where the group has strong support. The branches are often located on the ground floor of residential buildings in busy districts.

The institution has been under US sanctions since 2007, accused by American officials of being a cover for Hezbollah – which is armed and financially supported by Iran - to manage its financial activities.

According to the Lebanese state news agency, there were 11 attacks on Dahieh in Beirut, three in the country’s south and two in the Bekaa, areas where Hezbollah is present.

In Beirut, one of the attacks hit a location near the country’s only functioning commercial airport.

The attacks appear to mark an expansion of Israel’s war against the group, going beyond military infrastructure used by the group. A senior Israeli intelligence official said the strikes were intended to disrupt Hezbollah’s operations and its ability to rebuild.

Image source, EPA

We’re re-starting our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East, as Israel carries out more strikes on Lebanon, targeting branches of a bank that it says is supporting Hezbollah.

At least 16 airstrikes were recorded across Lebanon against buildings with Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH) branches, Lebanon’s state media reports, including two strikes close to Beirut airport.

The Israeli military earlier warned people living in more than 20 areas in Lebanon - including 14 in the capital Beirut - that it planned to carry out strikes throughout the night.

We'll be unpacking this with our teams in London and across the Middle East, so stay with us.