BEIRUT: The Israeli army on Wednesday claimed that Lebanese Haytham Abdullah Bakri, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday in the town of Kfar Dajjal in the Nabatiyeh governorate in southern Lebanon, was “the head of a currency exchange who operated with Hezbollah to transfer funds for Hezbollah terrorist activities.”
In a social media post, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said: “The ‘Al-Sadiq’ Currency Exchange, managed by Bakri, serves as a funds storage and transfer mechanism for Hezbollah, for funds originating from the Iranian Quds Force.”
Adraee also posted photos of five other exchange centers in Lebanon that he accused of being companies that also finance Hezbollah, in what appeared to be a threat that they could be targeted similarly to Bakri.
The documented establishments include Al-Insaf Exchange under the management of Ali Hassan Shamas, and a currency house operated by Hassan Mohammed Hussein Ayyash.
The intelligence imagery also shows Yara Exchange, run by Mohammed Badr Barbir, alongside another operation managed by Ramez Mektef. Additionally, surveillance targeted Maliha Exchange, which operates under Hussein Shaheen’s management.
