Taiwan’s defense ministry has denied being informed beforehand of any connection between the use of Taiwanese-branded pagers and the deadly attack in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah members. The attack, which involved pager explosions and heightened tensions in the region, was reportedly a joint operation between Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and the Israeli military.
Israel has tacitly acknowledged its involvement in the operation, referring to it as the beginning of a 'new era' of war. Images following the attacks showed damaged products with labels of Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, although the company's founder denied producing the pagers used in the attack.
When questioned about whether Taiwan was informed in advance of the attack, Defense Minister Wellington Koo stated that it was 'impossible' and emphasized that relevant national security departments are investigating the case closely. The defense ministry spokesperson mentioned that Taiwan was not engaged in any provocative international cooperation outside the region.
Regarding the manufacturing of the pagers, Gold Apollo's founder pointed to a Budapest-registered firm, BAC Consulting, as the possible source, but Hungarian authorities refuted this claim, stating that BAC Consulting is a trading intermediary with no manufacturing facilities in the country.
The uncertainty surrounding the origin of the devices used in the attack raises questions about how they ended up in Hezbollah's possession. The situation underscores the complexities of international security and the challenges of tracing the supply chain of potentially dangerous equipment.
