Latest news with #HaythamAbdullahBakr
UAE Moments
3 days ago
- Business
- UAE Moments
Israeli Strike Kills Alleged Hezbollah Financier in Lebanon
A man identified as a financial operator for Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. According to Israeli military sources, the target was the head of a currency exchange business accused of transferring funds to the group through Iran's Quds Force. The strike hit a vehicle in the village of Kfardjal, killing Haytham Abdullah Bakr and his two sons, all reported by Hezbollah as members of the group. Israel steps up strikes north of Litani River The attack is part of a wider series of Israeli operations targeting Hezbollah-linked sites north of the Litani River, despite a ceasefire that technically remains in effect. On Monday alone, Israeli forces carried out strikes in several towns including Zrariyeh, Kfar Melki, Mahmoudiyah, Ansar, Al Bisariya, and Al Wardiya, according to Lebanon's state-run news agency. While fires broke out following the bombings, no casualties were reported in those incidents. Ceasefire under strain The current escalation comes months after a US-brokered ceasefire ended 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Under the terms of the deal, Hezbollah agreed to withdraw from areas south of the Litani River, while Lebanese authorities were tasked with dismantling the group's infrastructure in those regions within 60 days. However, the agreement did not specify a timeline for dismantling Hezbollah's presence north of the river, where recent Israeli strikes have been focused. Targeted assassination seen as financial blow to Hezbollah Israel described the assassination of Bakr as a 'major blow' to Iran's funding routes into Hezbollah. The military claimed the Al Sadiq currency exchange, which Bakr operated, served as a key channel for moving money from Iran's Quds Force to Hezbollah's operations in Lebanon. The Israeli army called the business a " funds storage and transfer mechanism" for the group, linking it directly to Hezbollah's financial lifelines. No retaliation so far from Hezbollah Despite continued Israeli strikes and reported casualties, Hezbollah has not responded militarily. Lebanese officials say the group remains largely withdrawn from the southern region as agreed. Still, tensions persist as Israel maintains its military presence on five points of disputed Lebanese territory and continues air raids. With Hezbollah under both political and military pressure following its recent conflict with Israel, analysts suggest the group may be avoiding further escalation for now.
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
Israeli strike kills alleged Hezbollah financier in south Lebanon
The Israeli army says it has killed the head of a currency exchange store who operated with Hezbollah to funnel funds to the group. The targeted strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon came amid an intensified wave of Israeli attacks north of the Litani river in what appears to be a widening campaign against Hezbollah infrastructure. The militant group said Haytham Abdullah Bakr and his two sons, who were in the car struck when it was in the southern village of Kfardjal on Tuesday, were members. 'The IDF eliminated the head of the 'Al Sadiq' currency exchange,' the Israeli army statement said, describing the company as 'a funds storage and transfer mechanism' for Hezbollah from the Quds Force, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. It said the assassination was 'a severe blow to the Iranian financing routes to Hezbollah'. The attack was the latest in a series of near-daily breaches by Israel of a US-brokered ceasefire between it and Hezbollah that ended 14 months of fighting in November. Israeli air strikes on Monday targeted several towns north of the Litani, including Zrariyeh, Kfar Melki, Mahmoudiyah, Al Hatta, Ansar, Al Bisariya and Al Wardiya, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. The attacks caused fires but no casualties. Hezbollah has largely withdrawn its forces from south of the Litani, in line with the US-brokered ceasefire, Lebanese authorities have told The National. The agreement requires the Lebanese state to disarm and dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and military positions 'starting with the southern Litani area' within 60 days – but it did not set a timeline for dismantling the group's positions north of the river, which runs roughly parallel to the southern border with Israel, about 30km away. Despite the truce, Israel continues to bomb south Lebanon daily and to occupy five points of Lebanese territory. Hezbollah, politically and militarily constrained after significant losses in its war with Israel, has shown no indication that it intends to retaliate.
