Following Israel’s wave of attacks on Hezbollah’s financial network, particularly its illegal bank masquerading as a charity, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, it released a detailed video claiming a supposed $500 million stash of cash and gold hidden in a bunker beneath a hospital.
In the video, the IDF, as if speaking on behalf of the Lebanese people, alleged that Hezbollah was storing over half a billion dollars worth of cash and gold “belonging to the people” in a bunker beneath Serhal Hospital in Dahye. It stated that this money came from Iran and Lebanese sources and could help alleviate Lebanon’s economic crisis.
The video featured an animated rendering of the hospital, claiming that the bunker was previously used by the late Hassan Nasrallah. It also detailed that the entrances to the bunker were located in two adjacent buildings on either side of the hospital.
The IDF said it wouldn’t target the hospital but called on the public to retrieve the money, adding that they would monitor the area to ensure Hezbollah did not move it.
When the media arrived at the hospital, the IDF released another video instructing them to look for the entrance in the adjacent buildings. However, journalists reported that two men, supposedly from Hezbollah, denied them access.
This scenario mirrored a similar event in 2020 when Nasrallah invited the media to tour a factory in Jnah after Netanyahu claimed it was a rocket factory storing ammonium nitrate. Although most of the media, granted access hours later, found an empty facility, 961 published images and videos of ammonium nitrate and metal sheets used to cut out rocket warheads, which were found in the upper mezzanine of the factory – an area the media wasn’t allowed to see.
So, what was the point of these theatrics now? Why not simply strike the bunker and prevent Hezbollah from using the money to rebuild itself?
Israel likely knew there would be no real response because people still fear Hezbollah. The tactic could be seen as justifying the continuation of its war, with the expectation that the Lebanese Army would step in, investigate, and seize any funds to prevent an attack on the hospital. This would have demonstrated the Army’s ability to confront Hezbollah, especially with such high stakes.
However, this didn’t happen. Now, Israel can point to this as proof, showing the U.S. and the world that Resolution 1701 is insufficient to prevent further conflict, as the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL are unwilling to confront Hezbollah. This failure to enforce the clauses of Resolution 1701 could provide Israel with a rationale to justify its ongoing war to the international community and push for the full implementation of Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of all militias and non-state actors – whether by force or through diplomacy.
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