One of the late Hamas chief Hassan Nasrallah’s bunkers, built under Sahel General Hospital in the southern suburbs of Beirut, holds, according to estimates, at least half a billion dollars in US currency and gold, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday evening.
“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. Where is the bunker located? Directly under Al-Sahel Hospital in the heart of Beirut.”
Listen to IDF Spox.… pic.twitter.com/SjMZQpKqoJ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 21, 2024
A significant portion of Hezbollah’s budget is funded by Iran, with monies funneled through Syria and then into Lebanon. This amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The funds are used for salaries and maintaining the terrorist organization’s infrastructure.
In addition, according to the IDF, Hezbollah is the largest employer in Lebanon, and has raised hundreds of millions of dollars through organizations posing as civilian entities.
Hezbollah’s finances are like a game of Monopoly. Watch until the end to see who their banker is: pic.twitter.com/ujvY15UvLI
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 21, 2024
Hagari outlined three methods Iran uses to smuggle funds to Hezbollah:
- Oil and money transfers from Iran to Syria: The oil is sold to various companies and transported to Lebanon by Hezbollah.
- Diplomatic cover: Iran flies money to Lebanon under diplomatic protection via the Iranian embassy in Beirut, from where it reaches Hezbollah.
- Hezbollah’s economic initiatives under Iranian sponsorship: This includes gas exports to Syria and the establishment of factories in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey.
The IDF Spokesperson also announced that a man named Mohammad Jaafar Qasir, the commander of Hezbollah’s transfer unit and financial manager, had overseen Hezbollah’s main source of income for years until he was killed in a targeted strike in Beirut in early October.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.