Israel has accused Hezbollah of keeping hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in a bunker under a hospital in the southern suburbs of Beirut, though it said it would not strike the complex.
The Sahel hospital in Dahiyeh was evacuated shortly afterwards, and Fadi Alame, its director, told Reuters that the allegations were untrue.
Israel did not provide evidence for its claim that cash was being kept under the hospital. Instead, it published an animated graphic that purported to show a bunker under the hospital and said it had previously been used to hide the former secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. Israel appealed to the Lebanese government to confiscate the money it said the Shia militant organisation had stolen from the Lebanese people.
Shortly after, Israel issued a series of warnings to residents of Dahiyeh that it would begin striking buildings in the area and that they should move at least 500 metres away. Those who remained in the area began to flee.
Hey, maybe it is true and they’ve been using this location as their central reserve equivalent. Announcing this is clearly intended for the locals, to encourage them to storm the place so Israel doesn’t have to, regardless of whether it is true. Combined with their announcement that they won’t target it, it seems like they’re encouraging people to go there. But instead it was evacuated. If it is a safe spot with no gold, why would they evacuate it? Anyway, the mind games are interesting…