The file of the “Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association” has returned to the forefront of political debate in Lebanon, after Representative Mark Daou called on the government to take immediate action to withdraw the association’s license and close all of its branches, considering it “a financial lifeline for a system that operates outside the framework of the state.”
In his post on the “X” platform, Daou urged the Council of Ministers to take a “responsible and decisive decision” to close the association immediately, saying: “What is required today is a responsible and decisive decision from the Council of Ministers: to withdraw the license of Al-Qard Al-Hassan and close all of its branches immediately.”
He believed that the association “is nothing but a financial artery for an illegal system that manages salaries and loans outside the control of the state,” noting that its continued work contradicts what he called the necessity of extending state sovereignty over all financial and security activities in the country.
Daou added that the issuance of the government decision, which considered Hezbollah’s military and security activity outside the scope of the law, dropped – as he put it – all the justifications that were given to postpone the treatment of this file, stressing that “all excuses have fallen and there is no longer any justification for procrastination in closing this financial system.”
He stressed that “sovereignty is not complete as long as there is a parallel economy that finances illegal weapons and undermines public order and security.”
These statements come in the midst of escalating pressure related to the “Al-Qard Al-Hassan” file, after branches and centers affiliated with the association recently turned into direct targets for the Israeli army during the raids that targeted various areas in Lebanon.
In the context of the ongoing war, the Israeli army issued many warnings, accusing the association of being linked to Hezbollah’s financial structure, and threatened to target sites it considered part of the party’s economic system. Indeed, Israel carried out raids targeting buildings and centers suspected of being used by “Al-Qard Al-Hassan” in several regions, as part of what it described as an attempt to strike the financial networks linked to the party.
These raids shed light on the role that the association plays within the pro-Hezbollah environment, as it is considered one of the most prominent financial institutions that provide loan services and financial assistance to thousands of Lebanese, in light of the crisis that the Lebanese banking sector is witnessing.
Between the Israeli security pressures and the internal political debate, it seems that the “good loan” file has returned to raise tensions inside Lebanon, with increasing demands for decisive government decisions regarding it, in exchange for warnings of the repercussions of any similar step on the political and financial balances in the country.
