Israel finds $500 million in cash and gold in secret Hezbollah bunker

This Monday (12), the Israel Defense Force (IDF) announced that it found a bunker belonging to the extremist group Hezbollah, in the basement of a hospital in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. Members of the Israeli group found more than US$500 million (R$2.8 billion) in cash and gold. According to the Israeli government, the hospital will not be bombed. It was evacuated to ensure the safety of workers and patients there.

Economic center and hideout

The bunker was used as a type of “economic center” by the extremist group, with Hezbollah's monetary resources being stored there. This fact explains the large amount of money and gold found by the Israeli military.

One of the soldiers stated that the bunker was placed below a hospital intentionally by the extremist group, using the institution as a shield. More than half a billion dollars in cash and gold were found at the site. Such resources would be used to rehabilitate Hezbollah rather than rehabilitate Lebanon. The military man ends by saying that this money is stolen from the citizens of Lebanon and used for terrorist activities.

However, the hospital director stated that there was no bunker in the hospital's basement, and asked the Lebanese Army to carry out an investigation at the site.

In addition to serving as a place where the group stored money, the former head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, used this bunker as a hideout, according to the Israeli military. The extremist group's leader was killed at the end of September after an airstrike.

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_{Hassan Nasrallah, former head of Hezbollah killed in September (Photo: reproduction/Patrick Baz/Getty Images Embed)}

Israel's attacks targeting Hezbollah have lasted more than 20 days. The first direct attack took place on the first day of October.

Group financing by Iran

In the announcement made by the IDF, it was also said that Hezbollah has been financed by Iran. The extremist group receives resources in three ways, according to the military. One of these ways is through the oil that Syria receives from Iran. Sales of this product generate profits for Hezbollah, which are sent by “Unit 4400”, a banking group that carries out transfers.

Another way Iran found to transfer money to Hezbollah is, according to the Israeli military, the country's embassy in Beirut. As diplomacy, the Iranian government sends money to the embassy and passes it on to the extremist group.

Another type of financing would be made by profits from ventures that Iran supports, for example, the export of gas in countries such as Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, as well as other types of factories.

Last week, Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, announced that he intends to attack Iran before the United States elections. With the IDF's latest announcements, there is even more precedent for the attack.

Featured photo: debris in Beirut after Israeli attack (Reproduction/Anwar Amro/AFP)