An electronics manufacturer in Taiwan, Gold Apollo, denied making the pagers used by Hezbollah that exploded in Lebanon, killing at least nine people and injuring over 2,750. The company’s founder stated that the pagers were made by another company licensed to use its brand, Hungary-based BAC. Gold Apollo clarified that while BAC used its logo for sales in certain regions, they were not responsible for the design and manufacturing of the products.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that Gold Apollo primarily exported pagers to European and American markets and had no direct exports to Lebanon. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the batch of pagers was modified or produced by another manufacturer under the Gold Apollo brand.
The explosions in Lebanon have raised concerns of escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, with Hezbollah blaming Israel for the blasts. Both countries have been engaged in cross-border attacks since last October. Lebanon’s foreign ministry condemned the incident as an “Israeli cyber attack” and vowed to file a complaint with the U.N. Security Council.
Hezbollah is investigating the explosions and has promised a “severe reckoning” for the responsible parties. Lebanese officials advised citizens to avoid using wireless communication devices following the blasts. Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu, expressed shock and said he was considering legal action as he felt victimized by the situation.
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