Israel discovers $500 million cache in 'Secret' Hezbollah bunker in Beirut
- In Reports
- 11:47 AM, Oct 22, 2024
- Myind Staff
Israel revealed declassified intelligence stating that Hezbollah has a hidden financial centre beneath a hospital in Beirut on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim the bunker holds hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold, which are used to support Hezbollah's activities.
Following a series of targeted attacks against Hezbollah's financial assets on Sunday night, the Israeli Air Force made this revelation. "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," said IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who gave a lengthy explanation during a televised briefing. The bunker is situated in the centre of Beirut, just beneath Al-Sahel Hospital.
Despite the reported existence of substantial cash resources, Hagari stated that the site had not yet been hit. "According to estimates, there is at least half a billion dollars in dollar bills and gold stored in this bunker. This money could and still can be used to rebuild the state of Lebanon," said he.
Nearly 30 Hezbollah-affiliated sites were attacked by Sunday night's airstrikes, including those run by the Hezbollah-affiliated financial company Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH). Despite having a charity registration, Israel and the US have accused AQAH of being a vital financial arm of Hezbollah, giving it access to cash and gold stockpiles for military uses.
Hagari said that a subterranean vault holding tens of millions of dollars in cash and gold—resources reportedly being used to finance assaults on Israel—was one of the main targets. Hagari expressed the possibility of more airstrikes, especially aimed at other financial centers, although he did not elaborate on whether all the funds were destroyed in the strike.
The strikes came after Israel stepped up its efforts to sabotage Hezbollah's financial operations. Over 300 strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, including vital financial and logistical hubs, were carried out throughout the 24-hour assault, according to IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Operating in Lebanon since the 1980s, Al-Qard Al-Hassan offers Lebanese nationals loans in return for their gold reserves. Israeli and US officials contend that despite the company's official charity classification, it is an essential component of Hezbollah's financial network, allowing the organisation to finance its operations and launder money under the pretence of civilian banking.
Hagari asserted that Hezbollah's two primary revenue streams are the Lebanese people and the Iranian government. He claimed that the group's financial methods included sending money via Syria and smuggling gold into Lebanon through Iran. IDF intelligence claims that Hezbollah's factories in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Turkey are utilised to produce a significant amount of revenue to fund the organisation's terrorist operations.
In a parallel move, Israel launched an airstrike against the leader of Hezbollah's financial unit, Unit 4400, in Syria on Monday. The unit is responsible for the transfer of Iranian cash to Hezbollah, principally through earnings from Tehran's oil sales. Hagari said the strike killed the unnamed commander, who had only been in the position for a few weeks.
This is the second notable assassination in recent weeks of a prominent Hezbollah financier. The previous leader of Hezbollah's financial operations, Mohammed Jafar Ksir, better known as Sheikh Salah, was killed by Israeli forces in early October. Ksir had long been in charge of the group's sources of income, which have been crucial to its political and military clout in Lebanon.
The most recent Israeli operations coincided with a rise in Hezbollah-Israeli hostilities, which have been going on since Hezbollah began a string of bombings in support of Hamas after the October 7 attacks in 2023. According to Israeli sources, since the fighting expanded in late September 2023, almost 2,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed. Hezbollah has responded by attacking Israeli communities and military installations with rockets, most recently targeting an intelligence facility close to Tel Aviv.
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