Arms control Hezbollah builds underground vault in hospital to hide US$500 million in cash and gold

Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari recently made a striking allegation against Hezbollah, claiming the militant group is hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in an underground bunker beneath the Al-Sahel Hospital in Beirut. However, hospital officials have strongly denied these claims.

On October 21, Hagari stated that while the military continues to target Hezbollah’s financial assets, they do not intend to strike the hospital itself. In a widely reported statement, Fadi Alame, the director of Al-Sahel Hospital, invited the Lebanese army to inspect the facility, emphasizing that it only houses operating rooms, patients, and a morgue. Alame also mentioned that the hospital is undergoing evacuation procedures.

Hagari explained that the military has been monitoring the hospital grounds but reiterated their commitment not to target medical facilities. He presented an animated map indicating that the bunker was constructed under the orders of the recently killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “According to our estimates, the bunker contains at least $500 million in cash and gold,” Hagari claimed.

“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 stated during the briefing.

While Hagari cited intelligence gathered over several years, he did not provide concrete evidence of the alleged cash stash inside the hospital or clarify whether any of this money was destroyed during attacks. As of now, attempts to reach Hezbollah for comment have been unsuccessful.

Additionally, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reported that between October 20 and 21, Israeli forces targeted nearly 30 branches of Hezbollah’s financial institution, Al-Qard al-Hassan, located across Lebanon.