Israel strikes Hezbollah’s civilian as well as military wings in an attempt to crush the group

Israel Escalates Campaign Against Hezbollah, Targets Civilian Infrastructure

An Israeli airstrike on a health center in southern Lebanon killed 12 medical workers, seriously wounded one, and left four missing under rubble for hours, marking one of the deadliest single strikes in Lebanon since the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict intensified on March 2.

The March 13 attack in the village of Burj Qalaouiyah targeted a facility run by Hezbollah’s health arm, the Islamic Health Society, which has lost 24 members over the past two weeks. The strike appears to be part of Israel’s broadening strategy to weaken the Iran-backed group by targeting not just its military assets but also its civilian institutions.

“This is a different war that will not end with a ceasefire,” said Hilal Khashan, a political scientist at American University of Beirut. “This war will not end before Israel achieves its full objective – that is, the elimination of Hezbollah not only as a military movement, but also the ultimate objective is to erase Hezbollah from the Lebanese political picture.”

Hezbollah operates as both a political party and an armed group, with extensive health and social service networks that have helped build its support base over the years. Israel’s recent campaign has systematically targeted these civilian institutions, including over a dozen branches of Hezbollah’s financial arm, al-Qard al-Hasan, a charitable organization providing interest-free loans that Israel claims finances the group’s military activities.

Additional strikes have hit Hezbollah’s media operations, including its Al-Manar TV headquarters and Al-Nour radio stations. On Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut killed Mohammed Sherri, head of political programs at Al-Manar TV, along with his wife. Israel has also targeted the group’s Amana gas stations and Sajjad discount shops that provide subsidized goods to low-income residents.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of using health facilities for military purposes, claims that Lebanon’s Health Ministry denies. Amnesty International has condemned the attacks on al-Qard al-Hasan branches, stating they are not legitimate military targets under international humanitarian law and should be investigated as possible war crimes.

“The Israeli military has appeared to assume that labelling something as Hezbollah-affiliated, be that healthcare workers, homes in border villages, or financial institutions, makes it targetable. That’s wrong,” said Heba Morayef, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

The current conflict comes at a particularly challenging time for Hezbollah. The group has already been weakened by a 14-month confrontation that began in October 2023 and resulted in the deaths of many of its political and military leaders. Israel’s military chief, Gen. Eyal Zamir, recently claimed that Hezbollah is now fighting “a war for its very existence.”

Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Kassem acknowledged the existential nature of the conflict in a recent televised speech, vowing that the group would continue fighting and never surrender. “This is an existential battle. It is not a limited or simple battle,” he stated.

Unlike previous conflicts, the current war has seen the Lebanese government label Hezbollah’s military activities illegal, with authorities detaining several group members for carrying weapons without a license. The group is facing criticism from domestic opponents who blame it for triggering the war by firing rockets into Israel following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel’s response has been devastating, with airstrikes across Lebanon killing over 1,000 people and displacing more than a million from their homes in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The targeting of Hezbollah’s civilian infrastructure has already had tangible effects. After airstrikes hit the group’s institutions in central Beirut, local residents protested and forced Hezbollah to close an al-Qard al-Hasan branch in the heart of the capital. Workers removed the financial institution’s sign and dismantled ATMs, effectively ending its presence in central Beirut.

Iranian officials have insisted that any ceasefire agreement must include Lebanon. “We do not believe in a ceasefire; we believe in ending the war. And ending the war means exactly that — ending the war on all fronts,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera English, emphasizing that this includes Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and “other countries of the region.”

As the conflict intensifies, Mahmoud Karaki of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Society revealed that during the last war in 2024, his group lost 153 members in Israeli attacks. Nevertheless, he insisted they would continue their work as they have done in previous conflicts, stating: “By targeting us, they are targeting the safety network for the people and their steadfastness in areas under attack.”