Lebanese flee as Israel warns of strikes on Hezbollah finance arm

Multiple explosions across Beirut, with Israel intensifying attacks to stop rivals regrouping

- REUTERS

JERUSALEM – Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes late on Oct 20, with multiple explosions heard across the Lebanese capital, while Israel struck branches across Lebanon of a financial institution linked to Hezbollah.

Reuters witnesses said they saw dense plumes of black smoke billowing after at least 10 blasts. Eyewitnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a building located in the Chiyah neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut was reduced to rubble.

There were no casualties as the few people in the area had fled ahead of the explosion. Panicked crowds clogged the streets and caused traffic jams in some parts of Beirut as they tried to get to neighbourhoods thought to be safer, witnesses said.

Israel attacked sites in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley targeting the branches of a banking system that it says is run by Hezbollah to finance its operations. No casualties were immediately reported.

The Israeli military said before its overnight attacks that it was targeting the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, an alternative to the Lebanese banking system which the US has said is used by Hezbollah to manage its finances.

The association has more than 30 branches across Lebanon including 15 in parts of central Beirut and its suburbs.