Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer, Gold Apollo, denied making the pagers used in the explosions that killed at least nine people and injured over 2,750 in Lebanon. The pagers, bearing stickers from Gold Apollo, were actually made by a company licensed to use their brand called BAC Consulting based in Hungary. Gold Apollo clarified that they only provided the logo for sales in specific regions and had no involvement in the design or manufacturing of the products. Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that Gold Apollo had exported 260,000 pagers primarily to European and American markets, with no reports of explosions related to their products or exports to Lebanon.
Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have heightened, with Lebanon condemning the explosions as an “Israeli cyber attack” and planning to lodge a complaint with the U.N. Security Council. Both Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border attacks since the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah, which opposes Israel’s actions in Gaza, warned citizens to avoid wireless communication devices due to the explosions. The U.N. and the U.S. expressed concern over the escalating situation.
Hezbollah vowed to investigate the explosions and seek severe repercussions against Israel for the casualties. The explosions, captured on CCTV footage, claimed the lives of a girl, two brothers, and the son of a Hezbollah member of Parliament. Hsu Ching-kuang of Gold Apollo expressed feeling victimized by the incident and considered legal action to clear his company’s name from any involvement.
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