 "Hezbollah pager attacks: Hungary denies links to devices that exploded in Lebanon")
A Hungarian government official on Wednesday (September 18) denied any connection between a Budapest-based firm and exploding pagers used in a recent attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon, following reports of a link to the company.
“Authorities have confirmed that the company in question is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary,” said government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács. “It has one manager registered at its declared address, and the referenced devices have never been in Hungary.”
Earlier Wednesday, Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo said the AR-924 pagers used in the attack were manufactured and sold by Hungarian company BAC Consulting, which held a license to use Gold Apollo’s brand on the devices.
“Hungarian national security services are cooperating with all relevant international partner agencies and organizations,” Kovács added. “To Hungary, this case poses no national security risk.”
‼️ 🇭🇺 The Hungarian government’s position on the "pager issue": authorities have confirmed that the company in question is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary. It has one manager registered at its declared address, and the referenced…
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) September 18, 2024
The attack, which Hezbollah has blamed on Israel, took place in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as well as in other parts of the country and in Syria. At least 12 people were killed, and thousands were injured. Among the victims was an eight-year-old girl, according to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad, who spoke to Al Jazeera. Iranian state media also reported that Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those injured.
A European Commission spokesperson on Wednesday denied claims that the CEO of BAC Consulting had worked for the Commission, despite her listing it on her LinkedIn profile, but said it was “checking” if she had worked through “external providers,” according to a report by Politico.
The investigation into the origin of the pagers continues, with international agencies looking into potential links to the attack.
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