IDF Says It Won’t Strike Beirut Hospital With Hezbollah Cash Bunker Underneath It

Israeli armed forces said on Monday that they will not strike a Beirut hospital where Hezbollah has allegedly constructed a secret bunker underneath to hide millions of dollars in cash and gold.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah has “deliberately” built the bunker underneath the al-Sahel hospital in southern Beirut, but did not provide any evidence.
An illustration provided by the IDF shows that the bunker is connected to two nearby buildings, both of which appear to have underground access to the bunker.
Hagari called on the Lebanese government and international organizations to prevent the Iranian-backed group from using the stashed money to carry out terrorist activities and to attack Israel.
The IDF spokesperson said that the Israeli Air Force will continue to monitor the compound where the bunker is located, but emphasized that it “will not strike the hospital itself.”
“Our war is not against the citizens of Lebanon, but against a murderous terrorist organization that Iran continues to arm and direct according to the interest of the Iranian regime,” he said.
The hospital has reportedly evacuated its medical staff and patients following the IDF’s announcement. Hospital director Fadi Alameh has rejected the IDF’s claims and urged the Lebanese army to conduct inspections of the building, local media reported.
IDF launched a series of targeted and intelligence-based strikes on sites linked to Hezbollah’s financial operations in Lebanon’s capital city Beirut on Oct. 20.
Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said that 30 Hezbollah-linked sites were hit in the Sunday strikes, including branches of the U.S.- and Saudi-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association.
“We are striking in Beirut, and you are dealing with targets here—all of this forms a response against Iran, which funds and sends weapons here,” Halevi told troops in Lebanon on Monday.
According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah fired roughly 170 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on Monday night, triggering the activation of sirens in various areas of northern Israel.
The IDF has described Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association as the financial arm of Hezbollah, which it said had helped the Iranian-backed group in storing “billions of dollars” of funds for its terrorist purposes.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after Hamas carried out its 2023 attack in which more than 1,100 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. The Hamas-controlled Gaza health department said that Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza has led to more than 42,700 deaths to date.