Israel took its war against Hezbollah to another level by targeting its financial institution, Al Qard Al Hassan, for allegedly funding the group's military activities. But experts view the move as pa

Smoke billowed above suburbs of Beirut after Israel urged people to move away from branches of al-Qard al-Hasan, a Hezbollah-run financial institution.

Al-Qard al-Hassan is a Hezbollah unit that's used to pay operatives and help buy arms, a senior Israeli intelligence official said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday said an underground bunker was found beneath a Beirut hospital following a night of airstrikes that targeted Hezbollah's financial network. During a press briefing, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the bunker contained "at least $500 million in cash and gold."

The Israel Defense Forces provided the location of an alleged Hezbollah-owned vault in Lebanon that the military claims is storing hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold. In recent weeks, the IDF has been targeting the strongholds of Hezbollah’s financial arm,