The Al-Qard al-Hassan firm, a lifeline for many Shiite Muslims and other Lebanese in the face of a years-long financial crisis, is sanctioned by Washington, which accuses Hezbollah of using it as a cover to gain access to the international financial system.

The Israeli military hit branches of the financial organization across Lebanon late Sunday and early Monday.

"The Israeli military's targeting of branches" of Al-Qard al-Hassan "likely violates international humanitarian law and must be investigated as a war crime", Amnesty said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Under the laws of war, branches of financial institutions are civilian objects unless they are being used for military purposes. Therefore, these attacks likely constitute a direct attack on civilian objects," it added.

This picture shows damaged cars and buildings at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targetted a branch of the Al-Qard Al-Hassan finance group in Beirut’s southern suburbs. AFP

The financial firm, officially registered as a charity, has been offering customers credit in exchange for gold deposits on an interest-free basis since the 1980s.

The United Nations on Monday condemned the Israeli strikes targeting Al-Qard Al-Hassan, saying they also caused "extensive damage" to civilian property and infrastructure.

Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif told reporters on Tuesday that Al-Qard al-Hassan was "a completely civilian institution registered by law, whose services are for all Lebanese without exception".

Amnesty's Erika Guevara Rosas said the Israeli military had "targeted an institution that serves as an economic lifeline for countless Lebanese civilians".

"This, along with an evacuation warning issued less than 40 minutes before the start of the strikes, shows Israel's disregard for international humanitarian law," she said in the statement.

"An international investigation into the attacks" on Al-Qard al-Hassan "must be urgently initiated", she said.

Israel has targeted sites in Lebanon belonging to what they say is ‘Hezbollah’s financial arm’.

The finance group al-Qard al-Hassan Association says its deposits are secure, after Israel launched a series of missiles at the group’s buildings in Beirut. pic.twitter.com/z5AMyXOQQk

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 21, 2024

On Monday, the United Nations condemned the Israeli strikes the night before targeting a Lebanese firm that, it said, caused "extensive damage" to civilian property and infrastructure.

"We condemn the heavy Israeli bombardment of various urban and residential areas....various facilities affiliated with the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial association," the UN Human Rights Office in the Middle East and North Africa said in a statement.

The attacks caused "extensive damage to civilian objects," it said, including "residential properties, civilian infrastructure, and business premises".