Head of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea gestures ahead of an interview with Reuters in Maarab, Lebanon Nov. 14, 2024. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
BEIRUT — On Wednesday, the Lebanese Forces (LF) called on Hezbollah to "legalize all its institutions, including Qard al-Hassan," following the party’s financial institution’s announcement earlier this week that it had reopened 16 of its branches across Lebanon.
Hezbollah's political rival, the LF, urged the group to integrate Qard al-Hassan into Lebanon's official financial system. The LF emphasized the need for "legal" authorization from the Banque du Liban.
Lebanon has entered "a new national era," where practices and policies "contrary to the state and the constitution" can no longer continue, the group said in a statement. This call comes a week after the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which took effect last Wednesday. The statement concluded: "It is time for the state to fully resume its sovereign, financial, administrative and other functions. The state is indivisible, and any infringement on its authority is unacceptable."
Qard al-Hassan, which has been subject to international sanctions — particularly from the United States — has been targeted multiple times by the Israeli military as part of its war in Lebanon, especially since Israel's large-scale offensive began in Lebanon on Sept. 23. The first airstrikes against Qard al-Hassan's branches in Beirut's southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa took place on Oct. 20. On Nov. 26, the Israeli army targeted additional branches, including some in central Beirut, just one day before the cease-fire took effect.