Thousands of explosions
This is how the pager attack on Hezbollah went down
Thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon, injuring around 3,000 people. At least twelve did not survive the coordinated attack, which was apparently planned by the Israeli secret service. Fighters from the pro-Iranian terrorist militia Hezbollah were targeted. They were caught while shopping, on their mopeds and at home, as numerous recordings from security cameras show.
According to media reports, the exploded radio receivers were probably prepared with explosives by Israeli agents. Many had come from a delivery that Hezbollah had received in recent days, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing informed sources. Israeli agents had intercepted the devices before they arrived in Lebanon and loaded them with around 25 to 50 grams of explosives each, the New York Times reported.
Explosives planted during production?
The Reuters news agency spoke to a high-ranking security official about the possible manipulation of the communication devices. He said: "The Mossad planted a circuit board with explosives and a code in the device. It is very difficult to detect this by any means, even with devices or scanners." The official suspects that the explosives were placed in the appliances during production.
Trail also leads to Austria
The Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, whose logo was emblazoned on the pagers, denies any responsibility. The devices ordered by Hezbollah were manufactured by a licensed partner in Hungary, it says. "According to an agreement, we authorize BAC to use our trademark for the sale of products in certain regions, but the design and manufacture are entirely handled by BAC," Gold Apollo announced on Wednesday morning. The AR-924 model mentioned in media reports will also be produced and sold by BAC Consulting.
According to research by Hungarian media, the company is based in Budapest (see picture above) and was founded in 2022. According to its own website, which was offline on Wednesday, the company is also involved in telecommunications solutions. In addition to Hungary, there is now also a trail to Austria.
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, another branch in Austria was responsible for sales. A representative named "Tom" is said to be based there. Gold Apollo boss Hsu Ching-kuang claims never to have met this "Tom" in person, but says there were always video conferences with him. According to Taiwanese media reports, Gold Apollo intends to take legal action as the company sees itself as a victim. Gold Apollo was founded in 1995 and specializes in wireless radio systems.
A girl among the victims
According to Hezbollah, pagers used by various Hezbollah units and institutions exploded. Many Hezbollah fighters are said to be among the injured, including members of the elite Radwan force. High-ranking Hezbollah representatives were also injured, a source close to the militia confirmed. Explosions were reported throughout the country, especially in Hezbollah-controlled areas. At the same time, civilians were also affected - a girl was among the dead.
It is not yet entirely clear how the explosions of the prepared pagers were triggered. Technical experts are puzzling over and presenting different versions of how this could have happened. What can be determined is that the targets probably received two signals: One to make them pick up their devices and look at them and another to trigger the detonation.
Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad visited victims in several hospitals and said that people had mainly suffered injuries to their eyes, other parts of the face, hands and abdomen. Many victims probably had the pagers in their hands or pockets when they went off.
A report by the news portal "Axios" provides an explosive reason as to why such a perfidious attack was carried out at this particular time. An unnamed US official explains that it was probably a surprise opening strike in a comprehensive war against Hezbollah. There was also great fear that the Israeli plans could be discovered.
Insider: Israel feared the plan would be exposed
In fact, the signs of a major war between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia had increased in recent days. According to his office, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said at a meeting with US mediator Amos Hochstein that the only way to ensure the return of fleeing Israeli citizens to their homes in the north was "a military operation". Hezbollah is now vowing retaliation. Leader Hassan Nasrallah is reportedly planning to give a speech on Thursday.
This article has been automatically translated,
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