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Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Business
- Nahar Net
BDL denies it wants to shut Al-Qard Al-Hasan, Hezbollah slams measures
The Central Bank has denied a media report that claimed it intends to shut down the branches of the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association across Lebanon. In remarks to Al-Jadeed TV, Central Bank sources said the report is baseless and that the bank communicated with Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath television to inform it that its report is unfounded. The report came after the Central Bank issued a circular on Monday barring banks and brokerages from dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hasan, described as Hezbollah's financial arm. The Central Bank prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example. The bank had issued similar circulars in the past but this was the first time it mentioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan by name. Hezbollah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc meanwhile said 'the measures taken by the Central Bank and its governor against the Al-Qard Al-Hasan institution or against Lebanese firms, entities and individuals who are on the unjust lists of U.S. sanctions are a direct attack on the interests of our Lebanese society that violates the constitution and the laws.' It accordingly warned that 'using the Central Bank as a tool to implement foreign policies and dictations against the interests of Lebanese citizens' is a 'dangerous blow to societal stability at a time the country needs to avoid turbulence.' The bloc also stressed that Al-Qard Al-Hasan is 'a non-profit charitable organization that serves Lebanese citizens regardless of their affiliations' and that 'it will continue its work and perform its duties to the fullest extent possible.' The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hasan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system." Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organization that provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year. Operating as a not-for-profit organization under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas of Beirut and its suburbs, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. A Lebanese official said the Central Bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected U.S. pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing. Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hasan because it is under U.S. sanctions.
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Business
- Nahar Net
Report: Lebanon to shut down Al-Qard Al-Hasan, Hezbollah-linked money changers
by Naharnet Newsdesk 17 July 2025, 16:37 Lebanese authorities intend to shut down all money exchange firms that deal with Hezbollah and the Central Bank intends to shut down Al-Qard Al-Hasan's branches across Lebanon, Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel quoted unnamed sources as saying on Thursday. 'Lebanon's measures against Al-Qard Al-Hasan come to meet demands presented by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack,' the sources added. The report comes a few days after the Central Bank issued a circular on Monday barring banks and brokerages from dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hasan, described as Hezbollah's financial arm. Barrack called the move a 'step in the right direct by the Lebanese government.' 'Transparency and alignment of all financial intermediaries in Lebanon under the supervision of the Central Bank is a valued and necessary accomplishment,' Barrack said in a post on the X platform. In its circular, the Central Bank prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example. The bank had issued similar circulars in the past but this is the first time that it mentions Al-Qard Al-Hassan by name. The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hasan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system." Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organization that provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year. Operating as a not-for-profit organization under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas of Beirut and its suburbs, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. A Lebanese official said the Central Bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected U.S. pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing. Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hasan because it is under U.S. sanctions.
Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Business
- Nahar Net
Barrack says ban of dealings with Al-Qard al-Hasan a 'valued' step
by Naharnet Newsdesk 16 July 2025, 13:32 U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has described the Lebanese Central Bank's decision to bar banks and brokerages from dealing with the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Qard Al-Hasan financial institution as a 'step in the right direct by the Lebanese government.' 'Transparency and alignment of all financial intermediaries in Lebanon under the supervision of the Central Bank is a valued and necessary accomplishment,' Barrack said in a post on the X platform. In a circular dated Monday, the Central Bank prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example. The bank had issued similar circulars in the past but this is the first time that it mentions Al-Qard Al-Hassan by name. The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hasan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system." Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organization that provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year. Operating as a not-for-profit organization under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected U.S. pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing. Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hasan because it is under U.S. sanctions.
Iraqi News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Hezbollah chief says won't surrender under Israeli threats
Beirut – Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats, despite pressure on the Lebanese militants to disarm. His speech came ahead of a visit expected Monday by US envoy Thomas Barrack during which Lebanese authorities are due to respond to a request to disarm Hezbollah by year's end, according to a Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity. 'This (Israeli) threat will not make us accept surrender,' Qassem said in a televised speech to thousands of his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, during the Shiite Muslim religious commemoration of Ashura. Lebanese leaders who took office in the aftermath of a war between Israel and Hezbollah last year that left the Iran-backed group severely weakened have repeatedly vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms, while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire that sought to end the hostilities. Qassem, who succeeded longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah after an Israeli strike killed him in September, said the group's fighters would not abandon their arms and asserted that Israel's 'aggression' must first stop. Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite the November ceasefire, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives and accusing Beirut of not doing enough to disarm the group. Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the south, near the Israeli border. – 'Not now, not later' – Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli frontier. Israel was to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but has kept them deployed in five areas that it deemed strategic. Qassem said Israel must abide by the ceasefire agreement, 'withdraw from the occupied territories, stop its aggression… release the prisoners' detained during last year's war, and that reconstruction in Lebanon must begin. Only then 'will we be ready for the second stage, which is to discuss the national security and defence strategy' which includes the issue of group's disarmament, he added. Supporters dressed in black for Ashura marched through Beirut's southern suburbs before his speech, waving Hezbollah banners as well as the Lebanese, Palestinian and Iranian flags. Some also carried posters of the slain leader Nasrallah. Hussein Jaber, 28, originally from south Lebanon, said the group's weapons 'can't be handed over, not now, not later. Those who think Hezbollah will turn in its arms are ignorant.' In his speech, Qassem also said his movement 'will not accept normalisation… with the Israeli enemy', after Israel's top diplomat said his government was 'interested' in such a move. Lebanon, which is technically still at war with Israel, did not comment. Syria, also mentioned by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, said it was 'premature' to discuss normalisation. – 'No pilgrims' – Shiites in other countries around the region were also marking Ashura, which commemorates the death of the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, in a seventh century battle in modern-day Iraq. Iraq saw the largest commemorations on Sunday, particularly in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. In south Lebanon, hundreds of people participated in commemorations in Nabatiyeh, an area regularly targeted by Israeli strikes. Local resident Ali Mazraani told AFP that there were fewer people than usual 'because of the situation in the south and the Israeli strikes that destroyed the market and several areas of the city'. In Sunni Muslim majority Syria, several hundred faithful marked Ashura under the protection of security forces at the Sayyida Zeinab shrine south of Damascus, an AFP correspondent said. Syria's Shiite minority has been worried since Sunni Islamists in December toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who was backed by Iran. Unlike in previous years, there were no processions in the Sayyida Zeinab area, where pro-Iran groups used to be heavily entrenched before Assad's ouster. 'The Syrian state has bolstered its protection at this time,' said Jaafar al-Amine, an official at the holy site. 'This year, there have been no pilgrims from other countries' like Iran, Iraq or Lebanon, he added.
Japan Today
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Hezbollah leader refuses to disarm until Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon
Hezbollah supporters beat their chests as they march during Ashoura, the Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem reiterated Sunday the militant group's refusal to lay down its weapons before Israel withdraws from all of southern Lebanon and stops its airstrikes. He spoke in a video address, as thousands gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs to mark the Shiite holy day of Ashoura. Ashoura commemorates the 680 A.D. Battle of Karbala, in which the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, was killed after he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate. For Shiites, the commemoration has come to symbolize resistance against tyranny and injustice. This year's commemoration comes in the wake of a bruising war between Israel and Hezbollah, which nominally ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in late November. Israeli strikes killed much of Hezbollah's top leadership, including longtime Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, and destroyed much of its arsenal. Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to occupy five strategic border points in southern Lebanon and to carry out near-daily airstrikes that it says aim to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. Those strikes have killed some 250 people since November, in addition to more than 4,000 killed during the war, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. There has been increasing international and domestic pressure for Hezbollah to give up its remaining arsenal. 'How can you expect us not to stand firm while the Israeli enemy continues its aggression, continues to occupy the five points, and continues to enter our territories and kill?' Kassem said in his video address. 'We will not be part of legitimizing the occupation in Lebanon and the region. We will not accept normalization (with Israel).' In response to those who ask why the group needs its missile arsenal, Kassem said: 'How can we confront Israel when it attacks us if we didn't have them? Who is preventing Israel from entering villages and landing and killing young people, women and children inside their homes unless there is a resistance with certain capabilities capable of minimal defense?' His comments come ahead of an expected visit by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Beirut to discuss a proposed plan for Hezbollah's disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the rest of southern Lebanon. Barrack posted Saturday on X that Lebanon is facing 'a historic moment to supersede the strained confessionalism of the past and finally fulfill (its) true promise of the hope of 'One country, one people, one army'' and quoted U.S. President Donald Trump saying, 'Let's make Lebanon Great again.' Later on Sunday, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the Israeli military launched a series of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, including in the area around the eastern city of Baalbek and in Apple Province, a mountainous region overlooking large parts of southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said in a statement that it had struck 'several Hezbollah military sites, strategic weapons production and storage sites, and a rocket launching site.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
