TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Foreign media reported Wednesday (Sept. 18) that the pagers used by members of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which were detonated a day earlier, were ordered from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo Co. (金阿波羅).
The synchronized detonation of these devices across the country led to at least nine deaths and approximately 2,800 injuries.
Officials told Reuters that Israel infiltrated the supply chain, embedding explosives in a batch of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon. They executed the operation against Hezbollah on Tuesday.
Reports indicated that Hezbollah ordered over 5,000 pagers from Gold Apollo in Taiwan. The devices were likely modified by Israel's spy agency to explode at a specific time before reaching Lebanon.
Hezbollah distributed the pagers to its members across Lebanon and some allies in Iran and Syria. Due to security concerns, Hezbollah prefers pagers over smartphones for internal communication. The attack targeted beepers that had been activated and received messages.
As of Wednesday, officials have not determined when the order was placed or when the pagers arrived in Lebanon. The investigation continues as authorities seek to uncover more details about the timing and logistics of the shipment.