An IDF spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, has alleged that a vault belonging to the late leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is hidden beneath a major Beirut hospital.
Israel claims to have identified a bunker, located under a significant hospital in Beirut, that allegedly contains hundreds of millions of dollars in Hezbollah gold and cash. This statement follows a series of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, targeting the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which Israel alleges is a banking system operated by Hezbollah.
“The Israeli Air Force carried out a series of precise strikes on these Hezbollah financial strongholds,” Hagari stated on Monday, explaining that the attacks aim to weaken the group’s ability to finance attacks on Israelis.
The IDF claims to have already struck one underground vault beneath a residential building, which reportedly held millions in cash and gold. However, they assert that another major target, a bunker supposedly belonging to the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whom the IDF claims to have killed in late September, is yet to be struck.
The vault is said to be located “directly under El Sahel Hospital in the heart of Beirut in Dakhia,” according to Hagari, who added that there are “hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold inside the bunker right now.”
The UN regional human rights office has condemned the recent Israeli bombings of Beirut and southern Lebanon, targeting “facilities affiliated with the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial association.” The attacks, according to the UN Human Rights Office in the Middle East and North Africa, have resulted in “extensive destruction to residential properties and civilian infrastructure,” as well as “indescribable panic and another wave of displacement among residents of those areas.”
The UN body stated that under international humanitarian law, “objects that contribute economically or financially to the war effort of a party to a conflict” cannot be declared a legitimate target and attacked solely on that basis.
Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in frequent exchanges of fire since October of last year after the Lebanese movement expressed solidarity with the Palestinians following the outbreak of war in Gaza. In late September, West Jerusalem declared a “new phase” of the war and expanded operations against Hezbollah, stating its intention to secure northern Israel from the militant group’s attacks.
The IDF initiated a bombing campaign and a “limited” ground incursion into Lebanon after a series of handheld electronic explosions killed dozens and injured thousands across Lebanon. While Israel has not confirmed or denied involvement, the operation is widely believed to have been orchestrated by Israeli intelligence.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, as of Saturday, nearly 2,500 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Lebanon.