Hospital Director Refutes IDF Claim That a Hezbollah Bunker Containing $500 Million in Gold, Cash Exists Under Beirut Medical Facility
Sahel Medical Center’s lead administrator is urging Lebanese officials, others tour the facility.
The head of the Beirut Hospital where Israeli officials believe there’s an underground bunker with at least $500 million in cash and gold belonging to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is denying the claims, insisting that the lower floors are merely operating rooms.
Sahel Hospital Director Fadi Alameh, who also serves as a parliamentary representative for the area surrounding the hospital, urged Lebanese army officials and other institutions to inspect the area to support his claims, according to report from Euro News.
He told a local TV station that Sahel has been a private hospital in the area for more than 40 years and that there are only operating rooms underground. He insisted the medical facility is not tied to any military groups.
His response was to a statement from IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari who said that Israeli agents discovered the stronghold beneath the Sahel General Hospital in the Dahiyeh neighborhood.
“Tonight, I am going to declassify intelligence on a site that we did not strike — where Hezbollah has millions of dollars in gold and cash — in Hassan Nasrallah’s bunker. Where is the bunker located? Directly under Al-Sahel Hospital in the heart of Beirut,” he said in a video statement on X.
Mr. Hagari had stopped short of providing any evidence of the discovery. Still, he accused Iran of sending “suitcases of cash and gold” to the Iranian embassy in Beirut for it to be then funneled to Hezbollah militants. He says that the IDF does not intend to attack Sahel General Hospital but has launched strikes on several branches of Al-Qard Al-Hasan, a financial institution linked to Hezbollah, with more strikes planned.
News of the discovery, as well as airstrikes on the Lebanese capital city, comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog.
“Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
