Israel strikes Hezbollah's 'secret bunker' in Beirut, finds $500 million worth cash and gold

Israel claims it has found a secret Hezbollah tunnel under Beirut Hospital which contained hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold, which were allegedly used to fund the group's operations.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Oct 21 disclosed the information after a series of targeted airstrikes on the night of Oct 20 targeted at the Iran-backed fighter group's financial assets.

During a televised briefing, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari gave a detailed account saying, “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. The bunker is located directly under Al-Sahel Hospital in the heart of Beirut.”

"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," he added.

The airstrikes on Oct 20 night targeted nearly 30 Hezbollah-linked locations, including the ones operated by Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH), a financial firm linked to Hezbollah.

Despite being registered as a charity, AQAH has been accused both by the US and Israel of serving as a critical financial branch of Hezbollah, aiding it with cash and gold reserves for military operations.

IDF chief said that one of the important targets of the strikes was an underground vault containing cash and gold reserves which were allegedly used to fund an attack on Israel.

Hagari, however, did not clarify whether all the funds were destroyed in the strike.

Israel has warned of more attacks on Hezbollah especially targeting additional financial reserves, adding that in the south, Israeli troops conducted “localized” ground operations to eliminate members of the group.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned, “We will keep striking the Iranian proxy until it collapses.”

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the United States THAAD air defense system is now in place in Israel and could be made operational “very quickly.”

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a crucial component of the US military's air defense systems, and it is now also part of Israel's strong anti-missile defenses.

The recent Israeli operations have come amid an escalation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

According to Israeli officials, around 2,000 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since the conflict began in late September last year.