Gold Apollo says pagers that exploded in Lebanon are manufactured by a Hungary-based company

The Taiwanese company notes that the AR-924 model of this device “is produced and sold” by BAC Consulting KFT

September 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 2,800, were manufactured by a company based in Hungary’s capital, Budapest, following accusations by Lebanese authorities and the Shiite militia party Hezbollah against Israel for its involvement in the events.

Gold Apollo said it has a “long-standing partnership” with a company identified as BAC Consulting KFT and that, “under the cooperation agreement,” the Taiwanese company allows the latter to “use the brand for the sale of products in designated regions.” “The design and manufacture of the products is the responsibility of BAC,” it said.

“Regarding the AR-924 model mentioned in the media, we would like to clarify that this model is produced and sold by BAC. Our company only provides authorisation for the use of the brand and is not involved in the design or manufacture of this product,” he stressed.

The Taiwanese company has stated in its statement, published through its official Facebook account, that “Gold Apollo Co. Ltd. always complies with relevant regulations and maintains transparent and compatible partnerships with its collaborators.”

Although the explosions had initially been attributed to a cyber attack, several US officials have confirmed to The New York Times that Israeli intelligence had managed to hide explosive material inside a new batch of some 3,000 pagers imported into Lebanon.

These devices were loaded with explosive material weighing between 30 and 60 grams, along with the battery of each pager and a system that could be activated remotely for detonation upon arrival in Lebanese territory, after which Hezbollah distributed them among its members in Lebanon, Syria and even Iran.

All of the pagers that were on received a message at 3:30 p.m. (local time) that ended up activating the explosives after a notification beep lasting several seconds. Although many of the victims are believed to be members of Hezbollah, among the dead there is a girl and it is unknown how many of them are actually members of the group and in what positions they operate.

Among the wounded is also Iran’s ambassador in Beirut, Mojtaba Amini. In Beirut, both the government and Hezbollah have linked the incident to Israel and have promised a response, although the Israeli authorities have not commented, amid a resurgence of clashes that has raised fears of the possibility of an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East.