Photo by
Anthony Hershko/TPS-IL on 13 January, 2026
Israeli Strikes Target Key Player in Hezbollah’s Financial Empire
Jerusalem, 2 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Israel completed a series of strikes in Lebanon against assets of the Al-Qarch Al-Hassan Association, a key player in Hezbollah’s financial empire, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday.
The Al-Qarch Al-Hassan Association (AQHA), associated with terror funding and money laundering, has been used to funnel money to Hezbollah for years, the IDF said.
“The association uses the citizens’ money transferred through it to provide financial services to the terrorist organization Hezbollah and its terrorists for terrorist purposes,” the military said in a statement.
In comments to The Press Service of Israel after Israel struck 20 AQHA branches in 2024, a senior figure in the Israeli intelligence community described AQHA as “one of the largest centers of economic power for the Iranian proxy.”
She also suggested that its competition with the Lebanese banking sector contributed to the country’s economic instability, while Hezbollah benefited from a parallel, unregulated financial system.
This network is based on the Al-Qarch Al-Hassan Association, through which Hezbollah deposits and stores funds, manages salary payments and even makes money transfers from Iran.
“For years, the residents of Lebanon have been in an economic and humanitarian crisis that is being exploited by the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The organization is exacerbating the crisis of the residents of Lebanon and exploiting their weak position in the shadow of the crisis in order to expand the dependence of the citizens of Lebanon and strengthen its military presence,” the IDF said.
Established in 1982, AQHA expanded significantly to 34 branches against the backdrop of Lebanon’s economic crisis. It specializes in providing microloans to Lebanon’s Shiite community, which predominantly supports Hezbollah. These loans serve various needs, from wedding expenses to agricultural development and solar energy farms.
By further financing hospitals, schools, housing and other Hezbollah social services in areas where traditional banking services are inaccessible or distrusted, AQHA bolstered Hezbollah’s ability to act as a “state within a state.”
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned AQHA in 2007.
The IDF began attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon after the Iran-backed terror group fired three rockets in the direction of Haifa in the early morning hours. It was Hezbollah’s first rocket attack since a November 2024 ceasefire took effect.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the overnight rocket fire, calling it “revenge for the blood of the Supreme Leader of the Muslims, Ali Khamenei.” Khamenei was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran on Saturday. Hezbollah said it targeted a missile defense site in the Haifa area as a “warning” to Israel.
