Taiwan's defence minister has stated that the island's national security team is "paying great attention" to the detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, following the involvement of a Taiwanese firm in the pagers' production.
Taiwan-based Gold Apollo has clarified that it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, asserting that they were produced by a Budapest-based company licensed to use its brand. In a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo confirmed that the government is closely monitoring the situation.
Koo noted that the relevant national security bodies are currently paying great attention to the incident, although he did not provide further details. His comments, made on Wednesday, were embargoed until Thursday. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has vowed retaliation against Israel, which has not claimed responsibility for the detonations that resulted in nine deaths.
Israel and Taiwan, while maintaining de facto embassies and unofficial ties, do not have formal diplomatic relations. Koo clarified that Taipei does not have a relationship with Israel that would involve security or intelligence exchanges. Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang emphasized that the public information from Gold Apollo indicates that the company did not manufacture the pagers.
Sun added that Taiwan seeks international cooperation that contributes to stability in the Taiwan Strait, rather than any actions that could be seen as provocative outside the region. Taiwan cabinet spokesperson Lee Hui-chih reiterated that pagers exported from the island are not prone to exploding and cautioned against believing online rumors linking Taiwan's government to the case.
Bulgaria's state security agency, DANS, has announced an investigation into a company linked to the sale of pagers to Hezbollah. Bulgarian media reports suggest that a Sofia-based company, Norta Global Ltd, facilitated the sale of the pagers, which exploded across Lebanon, resulting in 11 deaths and 4,000 injuries. Images of the destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters indicate a format consistent with those made by Taiwan Gold Apollo, although Gold Apollo claims the pagers were made by Budapest-based BAC Consulting.
Hungarian news site Telex reported that the sale was facilitated by Norta, citing sources. The Bulgarian state security agency stated that it did not detect any shipments of the suspected pagers on Bulgarian territory.
