A company from Hungary made the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria. It was part of an Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah’s communication network. The pagers, used by Hezbollah, exploded almost at the same time in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least 12 people, including two children, and injuring nearly 3,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for this attack, which seemed to be a sophisticated remote operation.
An American official, speaking anonymously, said Israel informed the United States about the attack on Tuesday. Small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers were detonated. Since October 8, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire daily. This started after a deadly attack by Hamas in southern Israel, which led to a big counteroffensive by Israel and ongoing war in Gaza. The tensions between the two sides have raised fears of all-out war.
BAC Consulting KFT, a Hungarian company in Budapest, manufactured the AR-924 pagers used in the attack. Another firm, Gold Apollo, allowed BAC to use its brand on these pagers, but the design and production were solely BAC’s responsibility. BAC is actually a shell company.
The Health Ministry reported severe injuries among the wounded, with some having serious eye injuries and others needing amputations. Lebanon received offers of help from other countries like Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Egypt to treat the patients. Experts believe that the pagers had explosive material placed in them before being delivered.
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