The pagers exploded on Tuesday as part of an Israeli operation on Hezbollah’s communications network in Lebanon and Syria. The pager manufacturer has revealed that all the pagers that exploded were made by a Hungarian company. At least 12 people, including two children, were killed in the attack, and nearly 3,000 were injured. The blasts occurred simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for the attack. According to reports, it was a highly advanced remote operation in which small explosives hidden in the pagers were activated simultaneously.
Operated via remote
A US official said that Israel informed the US about the attack after it took place. The official, on the condition of anonymity, said that the small explosive hidden in the pager was operated through a remote. This attack is considered to be a part of Israel’s ongoing activities against Hezbollah, where it is trying to weaken its network and bases.
Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese company that made the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria, said on Wednesday that the pagers were manufactured by another company in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to which it had given the right to use its official brand on the pagers. A small amount of explosives was hidden in the pager and then it was exploded. According to a statement issued by Gold Apollo on Wednesday, the AR-924 pager was manufactured by BAC Consulting Kft, which is based in the Hungarian capital.
Right to use the brand’s trademark
“According to the cooperation agreement, we have given BAC the right to use our brand trademark for product sales in specified territories (Lebanon and Syria), but BAC is solely responsible for manufacturing the product,” the statement said. Gold Apollo Chairman Su Ching-kuang told reporters on Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years. He did not provide evidence of the contract, however.
blood splatters everywhere
On Tuesday afternoon around 3:30 PM, when people were shopping in shops, sitting inside cafes or passing by in cars and motorcycles, the pagers in their hands or pockets started heating up and exploded. In this incident, blood was seen splattered everywhere and people present nearby were in panic.
Most of those wounded in the attack appeared to be Hezbollah members, but it was not immediately clear whether any non-Hezbollah members were carrying explosive pagers. According to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official, the explosions mainly occurred in areas where the group is considered to have a strong presence, particularly in the Beirut suburbs and the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon as well as Damascus. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity.
The injured suffered serious eye injuries
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack. It said in a statement on Wednesday morning that it would continue its routine attacks against Israel, which it describes as being carried out in support of its ally Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza. During a visit to hospitals on Wednesday morning, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firas Abiad said many of the wounded had suffered serious eye injuries and others had to have limbs amputated. Journalists were not allowed to enter hospital rooms or film the patients.
The health minister said the injured were being admitted to all hospitals in the region so as not to overwhelm any one hospital. He said Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Egypt have offered help in treating the patients. Earlier on Wednesday, an Iraqi military plane carrying medical equipment landed in Beirut, airport officials said. Abiad said the plane carried 15 tonnes of medicines and medical equipment.
