ROME (Reuters) –

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated on Wednesday that there is no evidence of a Hezbollah bunker filled with cash beneath a hospital in Beirut. He affirmed that Washington would keep collaborating with Israel for more insights.

Israel's military claims that Hezbollah has hidden hundreds of millions in cash and gold in this alleged bunker, but they plan to avoid striking it while continuing attacks on the group's financial resources.

"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 from the Shi'ite Amal Movement party and director of Al-Sahel hospital, claimed that Israel's assertions are false and slanderous, urging the Lebanese Army to verify that the facility has only operating rooms, patients, and a morgue.

In a televised statement, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman said that the bunker was built by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was reportedly killed by Israel last month.

(This story has been refiled to remove an extraneous word in paragraph 1)