In a latest growth within the struggle in opposition to Hezbollah, Israel has claimed that it has uncovered a large monetary reserve hidden in a ‘secret’ Hezbollah bunker beneath a hospital in Beirut.
The Israeli army revealed that the bunker contained roughly $500 million in money and gold, which it alleges was used to fund Hezbollah’s operations.
The invention was introduced by Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel’s chief army spokesperson, throughout a televised briefing on Monday.
He mentioned, “Tonight, I’m going to declassify intelligence on a website that we didn’t strike—the place Hezbollah has hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in gold and money—in Hassan Nasrallah’s bunker. The place is the bunker situated? Instantly below Al-Sahel Hospital within the coronary heart of Beirut.” He acknowledged that the bunker, located beneath Al-Sahel Hospital, had been constructed by Hezbollah’s former chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike final month.
“Tonight, I’m going to declassify intelligence on a website that we didn’t strike—the place Hezbollah has hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in gold and money—in Hassan Nasrallah’s bunker. The place is the bunker situated? Instantly below Al-Sahel Hospital within the coronary heart of Beirut.”
Hearken to IDF Spox.… pic.twitter.com/SjMZQpKqoJ
— Israel Protection Forces (@IDF) October 21, 2024
Hezbollah’s Monetary Community Beneath Assault
The revelation comes after a collection of focused airstrikes performed by the Israeli Air Pressure on Sunday evening. These strikes focused practically 30 Hezbollah-linked websites, together with monetary facilities operated by Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH), a agency allegedly important to Hezbollah’s monetary infrastructure.
Though AQAH is formally registered as a charity, Israel and america have accused it of being a entrance for Hezbollah’s monetary operations, offering entry to vital money and gold reserves that assist army actions.
In accordance with Hagari, the bunker beneath the hospital incorporates at the least half a billion {dollars} in greenback payments and gold. He emphasised that whereas Israel had not but struck the positioning as a consequence of its location below a medical facility, it had targeted its efforts on Hezbollah’s different monetary property. He additionally urged that these funds could possibly be used to assist rebuild Lebanon if recovered.
Israeli Marketing campaign to Disrupt Hezbollah Funds
This growth is a part of Israel’s broader effort to cripple Hezbollah’s monetary capabilities. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, IDF Chief of Workers, famous that over 300 strikes have been carried out on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon inside a 24-hour interval, focusing on important monetary and logistical hubs.
One of many key targets within the latest strikes was an underground vault believed to include tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in money and gold, which Israel alleges was getting used to finance assaults on its territory.
Whereas it stays unclear whether or not the entire funds have been destroyed within the strikes, Israeli officers have indicated that extra airstrikes could also be forthcoming as they proceed to establish Hezbollah’s monetary strongholds.
Ongoing Hostilities Between Hezbollah and Israel
Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have intensified because the group launched a collection of assaults in assist of Hamas following the October 7 assaults in 2023. Israeli officers estimate that round 2,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since hostilities escalated in September 2023.
Hezbollah has responded with rocket assaults on Israeli cities and army positions, together with a latest barrage focusing on an intelligence base close to Tel Aviv.
