Pager explosion in Lebanon: Taiwanese company says devices were made by Budapest firm

The pagers exploded in various places, including at grocery stores and cafes. Pic/PTI

Nine people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed and more than 2,000 people were wounded by the explosion of pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for the attack, reported AP.

A statement released by Gold Apollo read, "The AR-924 pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary's capital. 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 Consulting Kft."

Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang said that for the past three years, his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC Consulting Kft. However, there was no evidence of the contract provided on this, noted AP.

On Tuesday, blood-splattered scenes were witnessed as the pagers in the hands or pockets started heating up and exploding in Lebanon. The pagers went off in grocery stores, cafes, cars, and motorcycles, creating panic among bystanders.

It is not clear that if the exploding pagers were carried by non-Hezbollah members as it appeared that many of those who were hit were members of the militant group.

Hezbollah's official spokesperson, on the condition of anonymity, said that according to him and Lebanese security officials, the blasts were mainly witnessed at a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon, as well as in Damascus, Syria, where the group was seen with a strong presence.
It is believed by the experts that for sophisticated supply chain infiltration, explosive material was placed into the pagers prior to their delivery, noted AP.

The AR-924 pager, advertised by Gold Apollo as being "rugged", contains a rechargeable lithium battery, as per the company's website specifications. However, the advertisement was removed after the attack. It also claimed that the battery life of up to 85 days, which would be crucial for its use in Lebanon as electricity outages have been common in after years of financial disaster.

Many hospitals worldwide rely on pagers as they run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, making them more resilient in emergencies.

From the beginning of 2022 until August this year, 2.6 lakh sets of pagers, including more than 40,000 sets were exported sets between January and August by Gold Apollo. The pagers had no records of direct exports Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon but they were seen mainly exported mainly to European and American countries, said Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to AP.

Hezbollah used the pagers as a means to sidestep purported Israeli electronic surveillance on mobile phone networks in Lebanon.

"I do not have a phone in my hand, it is a listening device," warned Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a February speech. He later added: "I tell you that the phone in your hands, in your wife's hands, and in your children's hands is the agent. It is a deadly agent, not a simple one. It is a deadly agent that provides specific and accurate information. Therefore, this requires great seriousness when confronting it."

(With AP inputs)