Lebanon pager blasts: Hungary rubbishes Taiwan claims, says devices used in mass detonations were never in country

  • Earlier, Taiwanese pager firm Gold Apollo had claimed the model of pagers used in the attack against Hezbollah were made by Budapest-based BAC Consulting.

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Updated18 Sep 2024, 10:02 PM IST
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A photo taken on Wednesday, in Beirut’s southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. (AFP)(HT_PRINT)

The pager devices which exploded in multiple areas of Lebanon were never in the country as the company in question has no manufacturing site in Hungary, reported Reuters quoting Viktor Orban-led government on Wednesday.

The denial comes after Taiwanese pager firm Gold Apollo claimed it had only licensed its brand and the pagers used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which exploded on Tuesday, were manufactured by Budapest-based BAC Consulting.

Gold Apollo also claimed that they were not involved in the production of the devices.

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"Hungarian authorities have established that the company in question is a trading-intermediary company, which has no manufacturing or other site of operation in Hungary," Reuters quoted government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs as saying in a Facebook post.

"It has one head of operations in Hungary on its listed address and the devices referenced have never been to Hungary,"

Meanwhile, the Hungarian government said that the national security authorities would co-operate with all involved international partner services and partner organisations in further investigations. They added the issue did not represent a national security risk to Hungary.

Israel's spy agency Mossad is suspected to have planted explosives inside pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday's detonations.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Tuesday's blasts rose to 12, including two children. Over 3,000 people were also wounded in the explosions in Beirut.

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Fresh attack in Lebanon

On Wednesday, fresh explosions in hand-held communication devices (walkie-talkie) took place in several parts of Lebanon.

The health ministry added that nine people were killed, while 300 were injured.

According to the Associated Press, a child was killed in one of the several blasts at the funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members.

Among others, a girl was injured when solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and in southern Lebanon, AP quoted a Hezbollah official.

These new explosions in Lebanon have aggravated confusion and anger among the people after Tuesday's pager bombings.

With agency inputs.

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First Published:18 Sep 2024, 10:02 PM IST
Business NewsNewsWorldLebanon pager blasts: Hungary rubbishes Taiwan claims, says devices used in mass detonations were never in country
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