Israel Claims Hezbollah Hides Cash and Gold Beneath Sahel Hospital

The director of a hospital in Lebanon has refuted claims made by the Israeli military that Hezbollah is storing money and gold beneath the medical facility.

Fadi Alameh, a member of parliament and the director of Sahel General Hospital, dismissed the accusation, stating that there are no tunnels under the hospital. He also confirmed that the hospital, located in a southern suburb of Beirut, is currently being evacuated.

Alameh, who represents the area where the hospital is located, called on the Lebanese Army and other relevant authorities to inspect the hospital and verify the claims. In an interview with Al-Jadeed TV, he clarified that the hospital is a private medical institution with underground surgery rooms, and has been operating for 42 years without any political affiliations.

The Israeli military had accused Hezbollah of storing hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold beneath the hospital. According to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari, there is an estimated half a billion dollars in cash and gold hidden in the hospital’s bunker. Hagari suggested that this money could be used to rebuild Lebanon.

Additionally, Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged the Lebanese government to recover this “stolen” money and prevent Hezbollah from utilizing it. Hagari further claimed that Iran funds Hezbollah by sending money and gold through its embassy in Beirut, though no concrete evidence was provided to support this assertion.

Hagari also revealed that Israeli airstrikes had recently targeted key Hezbollah figures involved in the transfer of money between Iran and Hezbollah, including attacks in Beirut in early October and a strike in Syria on Monday.

On Monday, Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stated that more than two dozen targets linked to al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial institution associated with Hezbollah, were struck. According to Halevi, nearly 30 Hezbollah-related sites in Lebanon were hit as part of the operation, targeting the group’s financial operations which Israel claims fund “Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.”