The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Oct 21 said that an underground bunker was found beneath a Beirut hospital following airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial network. The Israeli military spokesperson claimed the bunker contained “at least $500 million in cash and gold.”The IDF said the bunker at Sahel General Hospital was constructed by Hezbollah’s slain leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli media reports said that the bunker serves as Hezbollah’s central money warehouse.Following the IDF’s claims, the hospital’s director, Fadi Alameh, told Reuters that the hospital had been evacuated. Both the hospital authorities and the Lebanese health officials have denied the Israeli allegations.Alameh told Al-Jadeed TV that the Sahel General Hospital is a private medical center that has underground rooms for surgery. He said the hospital has been in the area for 42 years and it is not linked to any political group. Alameh said he was ready for the Lebanese army “or other observers” to come and inspect the hospital to prove the claims wrong.
