TEL AVIV, October 21. /TASS/. An Israeli Air Force aircraft and drones struck overnight 16 offices and branches of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial and credit association, which sponsors the activities of the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and provides assistance to its supporters, media reported.

The Al Hadath TV channel recakked that there are more than 30 branches of this financial institution, which is not under the control of the Central Bank of Lebanon, throughout the country. According to it, the Al-Qard Al-Hassan association has provided loans worth more than three billion dollars in recent years, and its services have been used by more than one million residents, most of whom belong to the Shia group operating in the country.

The 11 offices hit by the airstrikes were located in the southern outskirts of Beirut, the rest in Baalbek, the Beqaa Valley and in the south of the country in Tyre.

According to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the Israeli Air Force struck 15 buildings of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial and credit association in Beirut during the night.

"Beirut in flames. A wide-scale Israeli attack targeted Hezbollah's financial infrastructure in Beirut and across Lebanon last night. Massive fires were seen above Beirut as over 15 buildings were struck following evacuation warnings to residents," the top diplomat said, adding that Israel was retaliating for Hezbollah's "aggression" against the country and attacks on its northern areas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press service reported that "overnight, the Israeli Air Force conducted a series of targeted, intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to finance its terrorist activities against the State of Israel." "The strikes were conducted in the areas of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and deep within Lebanese territory," the army said.

According to the press office, "the funds, which Hezbollah used for terror activities, were stored by the Al-Qard al-Hassan Association, which directly funds Hezbollah's terror activities, including the purchase weapons and payments to operatives in Hezbollah's military wing." "The Hezbollah terrorist organization stores billions of dollars in the association's branches, including money that was directly held under the name of the terrorist organization," the military added.

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including advance warnings issued via different platforms to the civilian population in the area," the army press service said.