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Hundreds of people in Beirut fled their homes as a dozen explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital on Sunday evening, shortly after Israel announced it would target locations linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah group’s financial activities.

About an hour later on Sunday, the explosions began in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said they will issue evacuation warnings for people in parts of Beirut, and that “anyone near the locations used to finance Hezbollah’s terrorist activities should immediately move away from them.” must remain.” The first warnings concerned southern Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Eyewitnesses said a building in the Chiyah neighborhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs was in ruins and that the few people in the area had fled before the explosion, meaning there were no casualties.

Panicked crowds clogged the streets and caused traffic jams in some parts of Beirut as they tried to reach neighborhoods considered safer, a witness told Reuters.

Israel said the attacks would target branches of the interest-free lending organization Al-Qard al-Hassan, which the US said was used by Hezbollah to pay operatives and help buy weapons “all over Lebanon”.

The name means “the benevolent loan” in Arabic and Hezbollah has used it to consolidate its support among the Shiite population in a country where state and financial institutions have failed in recent years.

The institution has more than 30 branches throughout Lebanon, including 15 in densely populated parts of central Beirut and its suburbs.

Al-Qard al-Hassan in a statement called the decision to target this a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assured customers that it had taken “measures” to ensure their money was safe.

The registered non-profit organization, approved by both the US and Saudi Arabia, is also used by ordinary Lebanese.

A senior Israeli intelligence official said that the purpose of this attack was to “attack Hezbollah’s ability (to function economically), both during the war, but also afterward for reconstruction and rearmament … on the day after.”

An Israeli attack demolished a building housing one of the institution’s branches in Baalbek, deep in Lebanon, Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen reported.

The scope of the new Israeli evacuation warnings was not immediately clear.

Earlier on Sunday, Israel said it had hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters and an underground weapons workshop in Beirut.

A year of escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah over the war in Gaza turned into an all-out war last month, and Israel sent ground troops to Lebanon early this month.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 2,464 people and injured 11,530, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Israel’s announcement came a day after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon “far too high” in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, and urged Israel to scale back some attacks, especially in and around Beirut.

Iran is backing Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents showing that Israel provided military resources for a military strike in response to Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack, three U.S. officials said.

The announcement came as the Lebanese army said three soldiers were killed in an Israeli attack on their vehicle in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

There was no comment from the Israeli army, which said it had struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past day and continued ground operations there.

The Lebanese army has largely remained on the sidelines during the war. The army is a respected institution in Lebanon, but is not powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or defend the country against an Israeli invasion.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired more than 170 rockets into the country on Sunday. Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom said three people were slightly injured in a fire caused by a rocket attack on the northern city of Safed.

Israel has stepped up attacks on Beirut’s southern neighborhoods known as the Dahiyeh, a busy residential area where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

It is also home to many civilians with no ties to the militant group.

Additional reporting by agencies