Pager attack: Taiwan, Hungary firms deny making Hezbollah pagers

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo denies making pagers that exploded in Lebanon, pointing to Hungarian partner BAC Consulting KFT

A Taiwanese company and its Hungarian partner reportedly denied making pagers that exploded while being used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon on Wednesday (September 18, 2024).

The New York Times, citing American and other anonymous officials, reported that Israel had inserted explosive material into a shipment of pagers from Taiwan’s Gold Apollo.

Taiwanese prosecutors launched an investigation. Taiwanese company Gold Apollo denied producing the devices and instead pointed the finger at its Budapest-based partner BAC Consulting KFT.

Gold Apollo head Hsu Ching-kuang said the pagers were “100% not” made in Taiwan.

“They are not our products from beginning to end. How can we produce products that are not ours?” Mr. Hsu told reporters in Taipei.

The company said in a separate statement that it has established a “long-term partnership” with the Hungarian company to use its trademark and the model mentioned in media reports “is produced and sold by BAC”.

But BAC Consulting CEO Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono told U.S. broadcaster NBC News that her company worked with Gold Apollo but did not make pagers.

“I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong,” NBC cited Mr. Barsony-Arcidiacono as saying on the phone.

Mr. Barsony-Arcidiacono did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. The explosions in Lebanon killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others. Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack.

Gold Apollo’s claim

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said on Wednesday (September 18, 2024) that it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

“Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously Tuesday (September 17, 2024) across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, killing at least 12 people,” Government and Hezbollah officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ October 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ October 7 attack. The Ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants without providing evidence.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday (September 17, 2024) that it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously Tuesday (September 17, 2024) in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding more than 2,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.

The AR-924 pagers used by the militants were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement released Wednesday (September 18, 2024) by Gold Apollo.

“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement read.

Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday (September 18, 2024) that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.

The AR-924 pager, advertised as being “rugged,” contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo’s website before it was apparently taken down Tuesday (September 17, 2024) after the sabotage attack. It could receive text messages of up to 100 characters and claimed to have up to 85 days of battery life. That’s something that would be crucial in Lebanon, where electricity outages have been common as the tiny nation on the Mediterranean Sea has faced years of economic collapse. Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, making them more resilient in emergencies — one of the reasons why many hospitals worldwide still rely on them.

Pager attack death toll

Lebanon’s Health Minister says the death toll from the exploding pager attack on Hezbollah has increased to 12 people, including two children and an unspecified number of healthcare workers.

Health Minister Firas Abiad said that two-thirds of the wounded needed hospitalization, adding that the scale of the incident was far greater than the thousands wounded in the massive Beirut Port explosion in 2020.

“Most of the wounded were in Beirut and its southern suburbs,” he said.

Israel’s military claim

Israel’s military said they had intercepted two suspicious drones that approached Israel from Lebanon and Iraq on Wednesday (September 18, 2024) morning, the day after pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding nearly 3,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.

On Wednesday (September 18, 2024), the Israeli military said they intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon over the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of northern Israel. Another drone launched from Iraq was intercepted by Israeli air force fighter jets. There were no injuries or damage reported.

Israel also began moving more troops to the northern border with Lebanon in preparation for a possible retaliation.

“As a precautionary measure, the Israeli military moved its 98th division to the northern border,” an official said. The division, which includes infantry, artillery, and commando units, has until recently been fighting in Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border into Israel on October 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led attack in southern Israel triggered a massive Israeli counteroffensive and the ongoing war in Gaza. Since then, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged strikes near-daily, killing hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displacing tens of thousands on each side of the border.

Published - September 18, 2024 05:26 pm IST