The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday eliminated Haytham Abdullah Bakri, the head of the “Al-Sadiq” Currency Exchange, in a strike in Southern Lebanon.
The exchange serves as a transfer mechanism for the Hezbollah terrorist organization, handling funds originating from the Iranian Quds Force, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
These funds are used by Hezbollah for terror-related purposes, including purchasing weapons, manufacturing materials, paying operatives’ salaries, and supporting other ongoing operations, the military added
Over the weekend, the IDF also eliminated Behnam Shahriyari, the commander of the Quds Force’s Unit 190 in Iran, who oversaw the mechanisms enabling the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Iran’s proxies.
These mechanisms included money transfer routes from the Quds Force to Hezbollah, using currency exchanges in Türkiye, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates to offset Lebanese exchanges.
“These two eliminations constitute a severe blow to the Iranian financing routes to Hezbollah,” the IDF stated.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to target infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On Monday, the IDF struck sites north of the Litani River containing rocket and missile launchers, as well as weapons storage facilities. The military noted that Hezbollah’s continued presence in the area constituted a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire understandings between Jerusalem and Beirut.
On Nov. 27, 2024, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending more than a year of cross-border clashes between the IDF and Hezbollah. The Lebanese terrorist organization began attacking the Jewish state in support of Hamas following its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
Since the truce, Israel has carried out frequent operations aimed at preventing Hezbollah from reestablishing its “military” capabilities in Southern Lebanon, which would violate the ceasefire agreement.