Hezbollah tries to rehabilitate bank branches attacked by the IDF: "A ticking time bomb"
While the Lebanese army struggles to disarm the terrorist organization, Hezbollah has attempted to establish a new branch of "Al-Qard al-Hassan" in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon. Residents opposed it for fear of IDF strikes, and reports suggest the terrorist organization has "taken a step back." "Hezbollah has brought the Shiite community into a circle of death," said a political activist in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has been trying in recent days to open a new branch of "Al-Qard al-Hassan" in the Tyre area, an institution known as the "bank" of the terrorist organization, which has often been a target for IDF strikes during the war. According to Lebanese reports, residents of southern Lebanon are opposing its opening for fear that the area will become a target due to Hezbollah's presence.
The IDF has heavily attacked the bank's branches across Lebanon in recent years, with the last attack occurring in March, immediately after Hezbollah joined the war alongside Iran and launched missiles at Israeli territory. However, the terrorist organization is now trying to revive the bank and open new branches, even as the Lebanese army is tasked with disarming the organization to dismantle it completely.
Last Wednesday, the Lebanese newspaper "An-Nahar" claimed that Hezbollah had "taken a step back" in the face of public opposition. According to the newspaper, the terrorist organization's hesitation was intended "so as not to provoke resentment against it." A Lebanese website that publishes reports against Hezbollah quoted political activist Hari Murad, who claimed:
"There has been a significant change in the Shiite mood. It is no longer acceptable to see the entire community standing behind every decision of Hezbollah as it was in the past. We used to witness almost complete consensus, but that has changed. Hezbollah made wrong decisions that brought the community into a circle of death."
He added that "the decision to rehabilitate Al-Qard al-Hassan while the residents of southern Lebanon are still displaced is naturally met with an angry response. Every institution the party builds is a ticking time bomb that harms the Shiites and all the Lebanese around. The Shiites need an alternative project compared to the killing project that Iran has brought with it over the last 47 years."
Conversely, media outlets supporting Hezbollah present a different picture, claiming that the bank plays a social and economic role linked to Hezbollah's social environment. The newspaper "Al-Akhbar" wrote earlier this month that "harming economic institutions has become part of a political strategy." However, last May, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem used the bank as a means to threaten the government, warning that "people will take to the streets" if it were closed.
The leadership in Lebanon, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, has acted against Hezbollah's bank but has not banned its operations. Last month, Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar asked the Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate the activities, including suspicions of money laundering. However, reports indicate there has been no progress in the investigation, and no further proceedings will be taken unless the Central Bank of Lebanon provides full documentation regarding financial irregularities.
Meanwhile, even a ban imposed by the Central Bank of Lebanon on licensed financial institutions from conducting transactions with Hezbollah's bank, as reported in July 2025 by Reuters, did not prevent its continued operation. This is in addition to American sanctions imposed years ago and new sanctions introduced just last month. In fact, the only suspension of activity so far occurred under pressure from Lebanese residents in March, also due to fear of IDF strikes. The Sidon municipality announced at the time the evacuation of the branch in the commercial market.
The bank is just one of the challenges facing the Lebanese government in its attempts to establish its status and reduce Iranian influence. One of the central issues is the concentration of weapons in the hands of the terrorist organization, which refuses to disarm despite agreements with the USA and Israel. Hezbollah continues to oppose negotiations with Israel and is boycotting Lebanese government decisions adopted following US-mediated talks, claiming they will only discuss weapons within an internal dialogue on national strategy, "separate from external influences."
