The Israeli military claims that Hezbollah is using a bunker beneath a hospital in southern Beirut to store hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold, serving as a financial hub for the group.
According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli Air Force conducted precision airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial assets in the region but avoided striking the hospital itself. Said Hagari:
One of our main targets last night was an underground vault with millions of dollars in cash and gold. The money was being used to finance Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel.
Hagari also said that the Israeli Air Force is monitoring the compound but will not target the medical facility directly.
Israel did not provide concrete evidence for the alleged stash but released an animated graphic depicting the bunker’s location. The bunker was previously used to hide Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Fadi Alameh, the director of the hospital, dismissed the allegations as baseless and inflammatory, asserting that the facility contains only medical equipment and patients. He called for a Lebanese Army inspection.
Israel estimates that there is around US$500 million in cash and gold stored in the bunker, urging the Lebanese government and international organisations to prevent Hezbollah from using these funds for conflict.
Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi confirmed ongoing airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial operations, with around 30 sites hit recently.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated since October, following Israel’s retaliatory actions against Hamas.
Hezbollah has shown solidarity with the Palestinians, leading to routine skirmishes along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
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