In a hilariously bungled attempt to disprove Israeli claims that Hezbollah operates a bunker beneath Al-Sahel General Hospital in Beirut, the hospital invited a group of Lebanese reporters for a tour on Tuesday. What was meant to clear the hospital’s name quickly raised more suspicion when journalists discovered a locked door, heavily guarded by armed men, which they were not allowed to enter.

The hospital’s director had publicly called on reporters to come and see for themselves that there was no Hezbollah presence under the facility. But instead of transparency, the reporters were met with secrecy. Several reporters from LBCI attempted to gain access through the locked door, even contacting Hezbollah’s media representative for permission, but their requests were flatly denied.

The tour, which included BBC journalist Orla Guerin, was a far cry from the open inspection the hospital had promised. While hospital staff showed journalists the first and second underground levels, they were careful to insist that no bunker or Hezbollah facility existed on the premises. The hospital’s manager, in a statement that now seems hollow, claimed, “This hospital is private and not affiliated with any entity. It was built 42 years ago, and there is no possibility of a bunker.”

However, the locked door guarded by armed men painted a different picture.

The IDF had previously revealed that Hezbollah used the site as an emergency bunker, allegedly housing half a billion dollars in cash and gold. The IDF’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, directly addressed the media tour on social media, urging reporters not to be distracted by hospital theatrics and to investigate the specific locations where Hezbollah’s bunker was supposedly located.

Adraee provided specific instructions, directing reporters to Hezbollah’s private shelter nearby and noting that the Al-Sahel hospital was part of a Hezbollah-controlled network.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)