ROME: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that he had not seen evidence that there was a Hezbollah bunker filled with cash built under a hospital in Beirut, adding that Washington would continue to work with Israel to get better insights.
Israel’s military said that Hezbollah has stashed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in a bunker built under a hospital in Beirut, adding that it would not strike the facility as it keeps up attacks against the group’s financial assets.
“We have not seen evidence of that at this moment. But, you know, we will continue to collaborate with our Israeli counterparts to gain better fidelity on exactly what they are looking at,” Austin told reporters in Rome.
Fadi Alameh, a Lebanese lawmaker with the Shiite Amal Movement party and the director of the hospital in question, Al-Sahel, has told Reuters that Israel was making false and slanderous claims and called on the Lebanese Army to visit and show it had only operating rooms, patients and a morgue.
In a televised statement on Monday, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel last month, had built the bunker which was designed for lengthy stays.
US has not seen evidence of Hezbollah cash bunker under Beirut hospital, Pentagon chief says
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US has not seen evidence of Hezbollah cash bunker under Beirut hospital, Pentagon chief says
- “We will continue to collaborate with our Israeli counterparts to gain better fidelity on exactly what they are looking at,” Austin told reporters in Rome
- Fadi Alameh, a Lebanese lawmaker and the director of Al-Sahel hospital has told Reuters that Israel was making false and slanderous claims
Dubai warns residents to stay indoors because of rain
- Last year in April, record rains lashed UAE, flooding homes and transforming streets into rivers
DUBAI: Dubai police on Thursday urged residents to stay indoors unless going out was “absolutely necessary” as heavy rainfall was expected across the country, which saw record downpours last year.
The warning came hours after rainfall in the city caused flooding in streets.
“For your safety, please remain cautious as unstable weather conditions are expected in the coming hours, and avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary until midday on Friday,” said a police alert sent to residents’ phones.
The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) in the UAE warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday to Friday, including in Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi.
Other Gulf states also experienced heavy rain on Thursday, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar where the downpour caused an Arab Cup third-place match between the Green Falcons and the UAE to be canceled.
Last year in April, record rains lashed the UAE, flooding homes and transforming streets into rivers.
The UAE’s heaviest since records began 76 years ago, the stormy weather killed at least four people, including three Filipino workers and one Emirati.
* With AFP
