Over the past day, the IDF expanded the scope of its strikes in Lebanon beyond clearly defined military targets, focusing also on the core of Hezbollah’s civilian-economic and communication infrastructure. 18 branches of Hezbollah’s Al-Qard al-Hasan institute were struck across the country, in southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the Beqaa. Al-Qard al-Hasan is the institution that pays the salaries of the organization’s operatives (some of whom may now face difficulty receiving their regular salaries) and is responsible for distributing compensation and reconstruction funds to members of the Shiite base (to date, the bank has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and reconstruction funds). At the same time, the building of Al-Manar television station, Hezbollah’s central propaganda arm, was struck in Beirut, Hezbollah’s Al-Nour radio station was also struck.. Hezbollah’s strength does not rest solely on a military apparatus, but also on an extensive civilian-financial system that preserves economic dependence, social loyalty, and political influence among the Shiite base. Institutions such as Al-Qard al-Hasan constitute a central pillar of this mechanism, as they provide financial services as an alternative to the Lebanese state and deepen the organization’s grip on society. At the same time, media assets such as Al-Manar serve as tools for shaping consciousness, disseminating ideological messages, and managing internal and external narratives. We recommended a physical strike on Al-Qard al-Hasan bank branches as early as the days of the war in 2024, and indeed dozens of its branches were struck across Lebanon at that time. We also recommended targeting Hezbollah’s energy infrastructure, fuel depots (some of which were struck in Baalbek), and Hezbollah’s gas station network – “Al-Amana.” Significant and effective damage to Hezbollah in general, and to its rehabilitation process in particular, cannot rely solely on strikes against military arrays. In our view, it is necessary to continue systematically targeting Hezbollah’s civilian, energy, economic, political, and communication infrastructure, which enables its continued functioning, resource mobilization, and preservation of the organization’s public legitimacy.
