STORY: Lebanese hospital rejects Israel's accusation of storing Hezbollah cash, gold
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 22, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 23, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:08
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: MILITARY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Al-Sahel hospital
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): ALI HASSAN CHAMSEDDINE, Head of Orthopedic Department of Al-Sahel Hospital
3. various of Al-Sahel hospital

STORYLINE:

Israel's military said on Monday that it had destroyed about 70 percent of Hezbollah's rocket capabilities, dismantled parts of its financial network, and killed a senior Hezbollah official in Syria who oversaw the group's money transfers.

Later in a press briefing, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli warplanes had bombed around 20 Hezbollah sites linked with financial network overnight from Sunday to Monday, with most of the strikes focused on Beirut.

Hagari also said that under Al-Sahel Hospital, in Beirut's southern suburb, Hezbollah had built an underground bunker storing "at least half a billion dollars in cash and gold."

The bunker, described as a central financial hub, was not struck, but Hagari warned that Israeli aircraft were monitoring the site closely. "We will continue to track it," he added.

Following the threat, Al-Sahel Hospital invited the media to tour the hospital to discredit the claims of Israel.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic): ALI HASSAN CHAMSEDDINE, Head of Orthopedic Department of Al-Sahel Hospital
"You are touring the only hospital that is still serving the people of this area. All the other hospitals have closed their doors. We are the only hospital receiving emergency cases that need operations, as we are providing kidney dialysis for about 100 patients daily. I am not surprised that they threatened to hit this hospital. They did it before in Gaza, where they hit all the hospitals."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beirut.
(XHTV)